Bella Voce
by Morgan Locklear
Summary: Paris 1891: Bella is a popular stage vocalist and theatre owner. She's also a very powerful vampire. Edward is a piano teacher who attends one of her performances and captures her attention. Together they explore the Bohemian Revolution and each other.
1. Chapter 1: Theatre of the Night

**Disclaimer:**

**After checking with my lawyers it would appear that I neither invented nor own any characters in the Twilight series. That distinction belongs to the talented Stephenie Meyer for whom I have great admiration and affection.**

**Also since this story involves vampires in Paris, I should mention that **

**I don't own any of Anne Rice's stuff.**

**Oh yeah, it also takes place during the Bohemian Revolution and somewhat revolves around a theater so just to be safe, I don't own Moulin Rouge either.**

_This is story dedicated to Jennifer, my wife_

_She is my Beta 'on line' and my Bella in life._

* * *

**Prologue:**

The well dressed audience waited silently for the curtain to open**. **The auditorium had been recently remodeled and everything shimmered with newness and richness. Deep tones of blue were offset with creams and gold. The waiting crowd had all purchased their tickets well in advance and now many of the men were impatiently checking their pocket watches to see if it was time.

It was.

At the stroke of midnight the sapphire curtain parted smoothly and the room was filled with the sound of applause as a petite young woman walked out. Miss Bella Swan glided across the stage wearing an elegant blood red evening gown that dusted the floor behind her and wrapped her small frame in a wreath of scarlet. Her pale face looked like an innocent white bud in the middle of a dangerous red flower. A simple silver locket was the only jewelry she wore and long white gloves cradled her delicate hands. Dark brown curls rested against her naked back.

When silence once again claimed the hall Miss Swan began to sing. In truth, what she did was far too beautiful and haunting to be described by a word as pedestrian as 'sing' however there has not yet been a word invented to adequately tribute the breathtaking aria she performed. Her Italian was flawless; her phrasing brilliant and her voice was magical.

The whole of the audience was deeply moved, but none more so than a bashful and beautiful young man who sat close to the stage. He marveled up at the breathtaking woman and twisted the playbill nervously in his hand until his sister snatched it from him with a hiss. He barely noticed. His heart pounded in his chest and his stomach was an unforgiving tangle of gears and knots.

He wasn't just in love, he was reborn. Before the first song was over he had decided that hers was the most heavenly voice he had ever heard and he inadvertently captured her attention when he whispered, "Bella Voce."

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**Theatre of the Night**

Paris, like New Orleans, has long been rumored to have a large vampire population. In the case of the City of Lights this is very true. Although not in politics or positions of obvious authority (that would come later), vampires flocked to Paris for one simple reason; an artistic renaissance known as the Bohemian Revolution. Art, music and theater all took a great leap forward in the late nineteenth century and most of the leaping was done in Paris.

Vampires are voyeurs by necessity, if not by nature, and the theater provided a marvelous opportunity for them to watch daytime activities, delicate romances and human rituals. It was especially fun for them to play other people and lose themselves in a life that was not their own. If only for a little while.

In 1891 the most powerful and beautiful vampire was a young opera singer named Bella Swan. She sang short operas and quietly educated herself at the _Bataclan _but Bella was simply too talented to go unnoticed. Within a year she was performing at the _Theatre Garnier_ and, as she had already amassed a considerable wealth, she owned her own auditorium a year after that.

She chose a modest building in a muddy corner of _Place de Pigalle__**, **_a neighborhood that already boasted severalwell worn stages, and called her little playhouse _Theatre de la Nuit._ Her midnight shows were sold out weeks in advance and since she only performed once a week, she held the interest of an entire city. Bella was a clever and shrewd business woman but started out a long way from a Paris stage.

She first sang as a young girl in an English abbey over 350 years before. Her family had been poorer than most and her only single delights were church services. She was only ever truly warm after an hour or so in the abbey where she felt like she was connected to something larger. She also sang like she could knock the walls down and it attracted the attention of the monks. Bella's parents were offered the chance to send her to the convent where she would serve Almighty God as a nun.

It was not a hard decision to make as it would protect and educate Bella her whole life. Not many peasants were allowed to apply for, let alone be offered a place in the church. Her mother cried sorrowfully a week later when she was taken by a Bishop and his attendants traveling to _Elsebridge._

She was turned by a priest eight years later in early 1540 to protect her from the plague. It had saved her lifebut everyone she had ever loved died that winter. Everyone she had ever known was dead by Christmas and the man who transformed her kissed each cheek on New Years Day then left on foot to find what he called "Comforts in the East."

Upon his departure, Bella was the only person left alive in _Elsebridge_ - a nineteen year old vampire nun.

Just bloody great.

She first went to Spain, where she matured, then later to France, where she grew up. She took with her only a silver locket, a gift from her father, and a few happy memories of her childhood in England. The happiest of which was when she was eleven and performed in King Henry VIII's court in a children's choir. She had been assigned a solo in the canon and the sound of her voice echoing in the large chambers had given goose bumps. She would never forget how that moment felt. She pleased her choir master and she stunned the court. The King was sleeping.

It was the first and last time anyone slept while Bella sang. Even now, she could hear almost 400 heartbeats speed up as she breathed music into their ears. She had a way of exciting people even when she performed the most timid and fragile arrangements. Her voice was engaging, passionate, beautiful.

"Bella Voce." She heard the whisper quite clearly and a few measures later she allowed herself a glance at who said it.

He was devastating. Apollo in the second row! His hair was tousled and completely covered one of his forest green eyes. Still the intensity of his stare caught her off guard, and the unsolicited compliment would have made her blush, if that were possible.

Meanwhile, the young man held his breath as the Goddess above him looked his way. Right at him actually. He had accompanied his sister to the much heralded performance and was not prepared for the suffocating desire he felt upon seeing Bella. A moment later, when she started singing he almost moaned with awe and pleasure. When his senses swam back to him, he uttered the only two words he could think of. One of them was her name.

Upon hearing those words Bella had been intrigued. After seeing the lips that delivered the complement, she had decided he was to be her escort for the evening. True - he was a bit young for her but she had to have him. Besides she needn't feel too guilty…

He wouldn't feel a thing.

* * *

Lucky vampires had guard dogs. Bella was luckier than most, she had Jacob. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, stood over six and a half feet tall and had long dark straight hair that complemented his olive complexion. As a man, his kind face betrayed his hulking mass, but when enraged, he became a wolf twice his size and the transformation alone was famously frightening.

Jacob's loyalty was fierce and he served Bella in many ways. Tonight he was a bouncer.

His usual duties included protecting Bella during the day while she slept, procuring and disposing of her gentlemen callers, and some light cleaning and maintenance on the theater.

You know…the dirty work.

He was well paid for his services but owed Bella his life and would never leave her side. Except, of course, when she hit the higher notes on stage. His hearing was even more acute than hers and coupled with a particular sensitivity to higher frequencies, he often slipped into the lobby or even onto the street to escape the piercing invasion. Since the performance had just begun Jacob was still in the auditorium so he too heard "Bella Voce."

He watched as Bella looked for then found her prey. A moment later she looked at Jacob who obediently waited for her command. A hint of a nod confirmed that he was to invite the unfortunate bastard to meet his maker.

The show was a remarkable experience for those congregated. Bella was as skilled as she was beautiful and she hypnotized the crowd with ease. Literally. She learned recently (within the last 50 years) that she had developed certain abilities. Hypnotism was the first and easiest skill she cultivated. Even mass hypnosis required little more than her presence. The tricky part was to provide and institute a 'release' for anyone inadvertently mesmerized. Without direction, a dazed person might just sit in their chair after the show or might go out into the street and get trampled by a horse.

Bella was becoming more powerful every year but since she planned to retire after a decade or two and move to America she felt that she could handle the unintended side effect of her performances. She had never taken advantage of her control and developed a release cue in her last aria: Mozart's _Queen of the Night _from _The Magic Flute_.

That night she felt very antsy on stage and wanted badly to be alone with her unkempt beauty. She even cut a few numbers much to the delight of her rapidly sobering orchestra. Bella liked to look at the pretty boys but never touched and never allowed herself to be possessed by anyone. She was a maid when she was transformed and although she recognized stirrings and desires she didn't get along well with other vampires and humans were out of the question.

As the ovation spilled out in a wave that threatened to make Bella almost blush for the second time that night, she drifted to the back of the stage, opened one of two closed doors and disappeared inside where she waited for Jacob to bring her dessert.

The crowd rose almost as one when the curtains slid together again and Jacob was already en route. He could not exactly see who Bella had chosen but he knew the general area she was focused on and, besides, he knew her type.

The gentleman was exactly what Jacob had expected, shy and shaking. At closer inspection, Jacob realized he was a bit young for his mistress but appeared strong and handsome and quietly alert. Oh yes, he was her type all right. Jacob approached the boy.

"Excuse me, Mr. ah?"

The young man gazed up at the giant dark man and stammered. "Cul-Cullen. Edward Cullen." He remembered his manners and hastily included, "And this is my sister, Rosalie."

"Mr. and Miss Cullen please forgive the imposition." He turned to face Edward, "Miss Swan has asked to meet you, Sir."

Edward became so wide eyed that Jacob had to discretely cover his grin with an errant playbill he recovered from the floor on his way down. Rosalie, who was threatened by all beautiful women, rolled her eyes and countered with "No. Thank you. We have to get home."

Jacob hadn't anticipated the complication but knew exactly what to say to part the two siblings for the night. He took her hand in his massive paw and said, "My dear Miss Cullen. I would not dream of delaying you a minute longer and, if your brother will permit me, I should like to see you to your door by way of my private carriage."

"I'm not sure." Edward said, obviously torn. "I should accompany my sister home."

Rosalie fixed her brother with a well practiced glare that said, "D_on't you dare ruin this for me_."

"Don't be such a prude, Edward! Shall we?" Rosalie breezed by her brother and took Jacob's arm. She was secretly thrilled as she had just saved herself a miserable walk with her insufferably boring brother. And now she had the opportunity to make friends with this very large and attractive beast.

Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"Splendid!" Jacob cheered, his smile almost as big as his hands. "Mr. Cullen, would you please go through the double doors at the rear of the stage? Miss Swan will be expecting you shortly."

With that, Jacob and Rosalie were gone.

Edward was too scared to be nervous but had always been brave and vaulted onto the stage without hesitation and trotted towards the doors. Before he could knock he heard her speak.

"Come in."

Bella's gentle voice easily passed through the gap and found Edward panting. He took a quick moment to steady himself and slowly pulled both doors open to reveal a room that appeared to be filled with cushions.

Black carpet on the floor and walls complimented many gold and purple over-stuffed love seats placed back to back throughout the low ceilinged room. Then there were the cushions and pillows, dozens of them scattered on the floor and lounging on chairs. Edward admired the choice in colors; more purple and gold of course but also light pink, midnight blue, silver and the occasional tiny teal green pillows with brick red stitching.

Bella was now wearing a white fluffy robe. She sat in the farthest chair from the door and motioned for Edward to come in.

Edward obliged and crossed the room almost at a skip. Plucking Bella's hand from her lap, he shook it vigorously with both hands and gushed, "Oh, Miss Swan! I am so pleased to meet you. I must confess that I have never been to one of your shows before. I've heard of you, of course, and I played at the Garnier a week after you once. I came here with my sister and – thanks by the way for providing her an escort home – and I was so impressed with your performance tonight – and I – it was just – I'm really glad to meet you."

He was still panting and his eyes glistened with real admiration. He was so awed by her that he hadn't noticed that she was obviously naked under her robe. He released her hand and wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers.

_Oh Hell._ Bella thought. _He's a virgin. I can't kill a virgin._

It wasn't that she had anything against killing virgins; it was just that she had never met one in Paris before.

Bella was suddenly thankful she had built up her strength before her performance. She had always had a problem with temptation and years as an immortal had not taught her any impulse control or patience. After a moments consideration, she felt it was safe to continue the conversation but also recognized that his sheer loveliness would soon wear down her resolve not to harm him.

"Won't you sit down." Bella cooed.

"Oh, of course, thank you." Edward said as he practically threw himself at a lavender love seat, stumbled over the ottoman and bounced off the arm. "Oops, sorry." He said to the furniture.

Bella regarded him silently with no hint of emotion on her beautiful face.

Edward tried again and successfully deposited himself in the waiting seat. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and looked up at his hostess. "I like your eyes. They look like honey."

Bella was touched. "Thank you. What is your name, Sweetheart?" Bella usually did not get this far in the conversation with her other escorts. Usually, once they saw that robe and the empty spot next to her in the love seat, they were planted and moving in for the kill. She just always beat them to the punch.

"I'm Edward Cullen, Miss Swan."

"Please. Call me Bella."

"Oh no! I couldn't do that."

Bella frowned, "Why not?"

"It's just that…" Edward knew he had displeased her. "I mean… You deserve so much respect."

"Only enough respect to be addressed by my name, and that name is Bella."

"Bella Voce," he whispered again and the sound of his voice made her heart ache. The more she listened to this innocent child speak, the more she wanted to know him. She knew that she would always have to feed before they spent any significant time together.

Or she would make another mistake.

"What is your profession, Edward?"

Edward blushed, looked down then blushed even harder. "I'm a piano teacher."

Bella liked this. "Where did you learn to play?"

"I played as a child with private tutors, but after prep school I studied at the Opera Garnier." He said and then sheepishly added, "Just as you did."

"Would you play for me sometime?" She glanced at his hands. He was a piano player alright. Long slender fingers were laced together on the hump of his trousers.

Edward, who was already lit up like a puppy, vibrated with excitement. "May I?"

Bella was pleasantly surprised by his response. She expected to have to talk him into it - in other words, wait until he got that hazy look and simply suggest it. Come to think of it, he didn't seem to be getting that hazy look. This puzzled her but she did not allow it to distract her from the conversation.

"I can arrange to have a piano onstage tomorrow evening. Could you come by at 6:30? We could have dinner afterwards." She blinked, not believing what she had just said. Did she just ask him to call on her?

"I would be happy to." Edward could not believe his luck. She was such a talent and she wanted to hear him play. He knew he would have to choose something special.

Bella stood up, walked to the doors and opened one. "I will meet you right out here tomorrow evening."

She was starting to feel a deep need to taste the sweet nectar of Edward's blood, if she did not get him out of here fast she was going to rip his beautiful neck open in a frenzy to get to it. She wanted Edward so bad, but knew that it would be a tremendous crime to take a life like his.

In his nervousness, Edward stumbled twice more on his way out and actually bowed a few times before turning to leave.

Bella went into the back room and closed the doors. Then she made her way back to the corner where their conversation took place. She straightened some of the cushions Edward had dislodged upon his exit and pushed the chair she had been sitting in back against the wall. This revealed a small hole in the floor and an iron staircase leading beneath the stage.

She would have to go out now so she trotted down the stairs shaking her robe open as she did so and considered her evening wear. Maybe she would have time to meet up with Alice.

Bella suddenly stopped.

Thinking about Alice still gave her great pause and sometimes the guilt overwhelmed her. Even though Alice had completely forgiven her, Bella would never forgive herself.

Never.

Now she was thinking about doing it again? Well, this time would be different.

For one thing, she would ask permission.

* * *

**As you may have noticed, I decided to use the more traditional vampire lore in this story concerning their habits. I hope this is not a distraction for you as it will become important to the story.**

**As I post this first chapter, I am putting the finishing touches on the next two chapters (which will be longer, I promise). I know that this story will take us all on a fascinating and funny journey with Bella, Edward, Jacob, the professor and Mary Ann… **

**Thank you forever to my wife, Jennifer, for spending most of her time deleting commas and reminding me that I will need to include a lemon (or two or three...) **

**Thank you to Heather who read this first chapter prior to its posting and who has been helpful in launching me into the fan fiction world.**

**I owe my new found bravery to SR and UoEM.**

**Updates will hopefully be weekly. (Sunday nights I predict.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Theatre of the Mind

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

**Morgan Locklear owns a unicycle**

**Be forewarned: **

**This chapter has a lot of heavy lifting to do, (a hat trick of back stories.)**

**Worse yet, there is no Edward but I assure you Chapter 3 is his.**

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Theatre of the Mind**

Alice moved to Paris from Amsterdam in 1880 and would have gone home that same year if not for Bella.

A talented seamstress and dressmaker, Alice had been in demand all of her adult life. When she finally grew weary and wealthy she relocated (at age 28) to _Place de Pigalle, _where she opened a boutique a few blocks away from a small theatre being renovated.

Business was terrible.

Alice had simply opened the doors and stood shocked when people did not come flocking in, so she spent a whole spring and summer watching the _Theatre de la Nuit_ turn from a run down shamble to an adorable little playhouse.

Alice wanted to play.

She bought the first ticket of Bella's debut show and was completely swept away by the power and control of her voice. Not to mention she was gorgeous. Alice couldn't wait to dress her up and by the end of the week her wish had come true.

Alice had a great eye for sizes and the next night she was at the door of the theatre with an open dress box and a cheesecake. Bella, who lived alone, came to the door after an obscene amount of pounding and patience on Alice's part.

"Can I help you?" Bella was as polite as a nun.

"I want to help you, Bella." She held out the dress box and upon seeing the exquisite detail of Alice's work, Bella opened the door wider. Ten minutes later she was wearing the darling light violet dress that hugged her waist. The skirt was frilly and shiny and short. Bella felt lewd, but she liked it.

The two women became fast friends and enjoyed many wonderful outings together. Always at night and always paid for by Bella.

Like humans, Bella slept because she was tired. If she was lucky she got six uninterrupted hours before she fluttered herself awake from a dream. Even though she had plenty of room in her hall upstairs and a vast library beneath the stage, her surroundings had begun to feel claustrophobic. She could read in twelve different languages but academia grew tiresome after three centuries and she was restless.

By that winter, when nights were at their longest, Bella was waking up early in the afternoons feeling revitalized. Her new friend made her feel young again. Bella had standing fitting appointments twice a week but the two saw each other almost every night. One December evening, Bella was early as Alice hinted that she would have something new and exotic for their next fitting. She was not disappointed. They chatted freely as Bella stood on a raised platform allowing Alice to hem the painted African fabric without bending over too much.

Alice was hemming and humming when she pricked her finger with her needle.

Everything happened in a split second, before Bella could stop herself. Alice barely noticed the injury and busied herself loosing thread until she felt a savage bite on the back of her neck. Even if she had wanted to fight, Bella was far too strong and it was over way too quickly. Alice slumped to the floor guided by the slender arms of a vampire now destroyed by grief even as she continued to swallow the warm life of her treasured friend.

Bella could not stop.

She tried.

She tried so hard that when she finally did tear her mouth away from the crimson wound she came off screaming in agony. Her tears burned her cheeks as they streamed down her face and she would have lost Alice forever if she had indulged even a moment longer.

Bella's eyes flew open in realization and she acted fast. She turned Alice over and pressed their lips together biting down on her own tongue before they touched. A trail of blood trickled out of Bella's mouth and into that of her beautiful fairy like friend. Bella then sat her up hoping that some blood might find its way into Alice's body. She even blew air into Alice's mouth for good measure to coax the red liquid to the back of her throat. She then sat down on the wooden floor and cradled Alice in her arms.

The flickering candlelight reminded Bella of her own journey into a world of perpetual darkness. She began to sob, her heaves causing her dear friend's tiny head to bob up and down.

* * *

The priest who turned Bella was Michael, a friend. He had been at the Elsebridge church for ten years, a little longer than Bella herself. He appeared old, quite feeble in fact, but close attention to his ice blue eyes would reveal a fit and fierce animal. The two new transplants found comfort in each other. They never ate meals together or spoke during a service but they found ways to entertain one another. Her young mind was strong and impressed the jaded holy man.

He was a gentle and kind soul even in discipline and Bella favored him above all others. She was especially fond of his hermit like ways. He was the librarian and rumor was that he had not left the church since the day he was assigned by the Chancellor. He was however allowed an assistant to help keep the records and he chose the skinny but perceptive child. He knew she would do fine. After he taught her to read and write.

Bella took advantage of the gift of literacy and read every volume the church had to offer. Two hundred and fifteen in all and it only took her six years to do it. Another few months and she would have been through them all a second time.

She was in the library one crisp evening reading by candlelight and since she could now read English, French, German, and Italian Michael allowed her access to the correspondence to and from the church. She was privy to the financial dealings, the never ending theological debates, legal memorandum, reports on war and of course, accounts of how devastating the plague had become. She had recently heard stories that it had been diagnosed inside the city walls but did not believe it until she saw the usually aplomb Michael rush into the library and bar the door.

His thin white hair was sticking up and his eyes regarded Bella with a kind of sorrow.

The last thing she remembered was him crossing himself and blowing out the candelabra at Bella's table, leaving them both in complete darkness.

When she woke up her throat was burning and her head ached. Michael was praying nearby. It was pitch black but she could hear him muttering something familiar, Psalm 14. She listened intently as he prayed hoping it would distract her from her physical discomfort:

_The fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God." _

_They are corrupt. They have done abominable works, _

_There is none that doeth good. _

_The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, _

_To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. _

_They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy. _

_There is none that doeth good, no, not one. _

_Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? _

_Who eat up my people as they eat bread._

_There were they in great fear For God is in the generation of the righteous. _

_Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, Because the Lord is his refuge. _

_Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! _

_When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, _

_Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad._

As she listened, she turned to look in his direction and was shocked at how easily she could see him despite the obvious lack of light. When Michael finished he turned to face her and said earnestly, "Forgive me child."

The plague had indeed entered the city, the church and all but pursued Michael down the corridor. Although he was immune to the disease, he did not want the library sacked. He had rushed in there with the purpose of locking only himself away as a protective measure. When he saw Bella sitting there his first thought was, _At least I'll have something to eat. _He dismissed it almost immediately as the certain grief he would feel over murdering Bella would be unbearable. He knew he would have to turn her before he lost control_. We could be in here a while._

He did not know how soon he could count on her ability to fight off infection so he kept them both locked up for three weeks. The pain for him was immeasurable but he thought the slight youngster would be alright. Vampires are tough, but only if they have enough blood. New ones are weak and don't require much to sustain themselves. It was when they got to be Michael's age that the desire was almost constant. More blood was needed to sustain growing strength and abilities. Michael was very old and after the three weeks he was delirious and worse yet delusional. Before that happened he spoke at length with Bella and counseled her day and night.

She was horrified to learn what she must do to sustain herself, but being cooped up together allowed Michael the chance to direct her fears and explain her powers. He was truly repentant for what he did but felt it was the only way to shield her. Michael promised her that it was not as terrible as it sounded; in fact he further promised that it would be the most wonderful feeling in the world. She would just have to trust him until she could try it for herself.

"We are older than humans Bella," Michael told her. "We helped build great civilizations and made tremendous contributions to the artistic community before the fall of Rome. The Dark Ages were aptly named for those of us who lived through them." He went on to explain things like how there were five different shades of black which meant that seeing in the dark was child's play. That was only the beginning. He revealed that they possessed heat based vision that would help her find prey even in the English fog. Her strength, even in infancy, was far beyond that of even the heartiest and hardened man, and her ears would pick up every sound within a half mile.

Bella was a fast learner and few words were ever lost on her. She absorbed the information Michael gave her and readied herself for the time when she would have to venture out and feed on someone who, hopefully, was not infected with the plague.

Not even a vampire would take that chance.

She and Michael crept out one night and found the King's army marching through the city. She guided the muttering crazed man to a nice trail that lead from the road to a place where many a soldier assumed he would be able to relieve himself in peace.

Taking down that first man was one of the great thrills of Bella's life. She was empowered by the fact that she would never be in fear of a man or in danger of losing her virtue.

Apparently, being a nun was not enough.

The 1500's had a way of defeating women. Although she had never been forced to do anything with a man, her sisters were older and deflowered by age 14. If it had not been for the church, the pressing eyes of men who watched her move would have given way to their greedy hands on her body.

All that year Bella watched as Michael first recovered then slipped back into delirium. He spoke in languages Bella had never heard before, and not even Latin based. It was at those times when he revealed abilities he had not discussed in the library. Bella watched as he moved things with his mind and once he shimmered and then vanished before her powerful eyes. He never told her how old he was but Bella suspected that he might pre-date the modern calendar.

He grew obsessed with the Orient as autumn colored the air and, by the time the ground froze, he had warned her that he would be leaving after the holidays. On Christmas Eve he gave her his key to the library and told her to take any books she wanted when she left this place. The kiss he placed on each cheek was accompanied by the smudge of his cold tears. A week later he was gone.

It was New Year's Day 1541 and Bella had no direction. She moved from church to church, seeking protection behind their stone walls. She maintained the appearance of a nun and convincingly played the part.

* * *

Just before dawn, Bella put up sheets of dress patterns in the windows and pulled Alice into a corner of the now hauntingly lit room. Sunlight was sunlight no matter how diluted it was and was therefore deadly to vampires. Even on a cloudy day a vampire could be reduced to smoldering ashes within minutes and direct sunlight caused devastating damage.

Bella had developed a healthy fear of the sun as a result. She buried herself and her friend in a heap of fabric and waited. She felt more vulnerable than she had in hundreds of years. As the hours went by Bella realized she would have to take measures to ensure that she never found herself in a situation like this again. Not only had she harmed Alice, she had put her own life in serious danger. Her thoughts drifted to her old friend, Jacob. Before she met him she had run from the sun like a fugitive. He taught her to plan things out better.

Remembering him comforted her and she resolved to write him as soon as she returned home. He might be exactly what she needed and she knew he needed direction himself.

Bella was a nervous wreck. Alice slept until noon and not even the steady knocking at the door by would be shoppers stirred her slumber. When Alice did wake, Bella was there to still her mind and keep her from removing the protective shell of cloth. Bella wept as she apologized and tried to explain what happened.

What Bella could not know was that Alice, who had secretly suspected Bella's nature after months of careful observation, had deliberately pricked her finger in hopes that this very turn of events would unfold.

She was a vampire now. How romantic.

She never told Bella the truth even though she saw how tortured her friend was. Alice could not risk losing Bella's trust and she knew it would end the friendship if she confessed. She felt guilty because she never considered that Bella might feel so terrible about hurting her. It was not lost on Alice in those waking moments that her impulsive act had nearly backfired. Bella could have killed her.

They spent that day talking under a pile of wool, cotton, silk, and scraps of lace, sharing every secret they had (except for the one Alice held back). When evening ushered shadows into the room Bella released Alice from her tailored tomb and allowed her to look around the shop. She studied the hanging dresses, the grains in the wood floor and even her saddened friend who still had not been able to look her in the eye.

"Wow," Alice said. "Look at all the new colors!"

Bella, like Michael before her, explained about enhanced vision, hearing, and strength. She was still so distraught that she often broke into tears and began sobbing while explaining the best ways to kill would be prey. Upon seeing how easily Alice took the news, Bella became a tad jealous; she remembered being revolted and sickened at the prospect of her new life. _I guess it's a different time,_ she thought.

Bella was always forgetting how modern the world of the 1890's had become.

She gave Alice the basic run down, but Alice had many questions.

"Can we die?"

"Not easily."

"Can we eat?"

"If you'd like, but it's not necessary."

"Can we fly?"

"No."

"Can we make love?"

Bella hesitated, "I think so."

"You think so? What does that mean? Haven't you…you know?"

"Um…"

"Oh Sweetie." Alice had that 'poor baby' tone to her voice and it nearly drove Bella mad. Worse yet, now it appeared that _Alice_ was trying to comfort _Bella_.

_Is being a virgin really so much worse than being a vampire? _Bella fumed to herself.

Desperate to drink, they gathered themselves up and reveled in the fresh air as they walked to the theater together. Taking the long way.

Alice was a natural. She snapped necks like she was born to do it and fed from two humans a night even though Bella had only just recently required such a heavy diet. Alice should have only been able to drink a small amount but she was ravenous for blood.

Bella had Alice move in with her and they were roommates until Alice could have her own shop excavated. They also decided to dig a tunnel connecting the shop and the theatre. Bella arranged the whole thing even though she lost proximity to the impish delight. The two remained close but Alice was very outgoing and became popular with the other Paris vampires. Bella wanted nothing to do with them.

She got along much better with wolves.

* * *

Jacob was a farmer in 1622 when a tired and weary Bella wandered onto his property one night. He was prowling as a wolf since it was the best way to defend his goods from highwaymen and desperate pilgrims streaming in from the North, like Bella.

He watched the skinny young woman approach his house, knock and wait patiently for an answer. She was no highwayman. He transformed as he ran towards his house using it as cover, grabbed his clothes from the wood pile, dressed quickly and walked around the corner to greet her.

"What brings you here Miss…?"

"Swan, and I seek information about caves near here." She had been told of vast caverns where she could rest unmolested by the sun and curious passersby. She had been burying herself for a month and was anxious to spend a week above ground.

"Those caves are dangerous, Miss Swan." Jacob said with a somber tone and a serious face. "You can't go there."

She was in no mood for arguments and waggled a finger at him. "Don't tell me where I can't go. They're to the East correct?"

"Yes but…"

"They're in the valley near the river correct?"

"Yes but…"

"And one bank has a cliff face where a low opening can be seen correct?"

"Well that's one way but…"

"Thank you." She said and walked in the direction of the caves.

"Please!" Jacob couldn't let her march to her death no matter how determined she was. "Won't you stay the night and let me take you in the morning?"

Bella tossed her reply over her shoulder. "Too late. I have to get there tonight."

"Wait then." Jacob ran inside and returned a few seconds later with a short sword and a bow. "I'm going with you."

Bella stopped. She turned around slowly and then strode back to Jacob scowling. Even on her toes her defiant raised chin landed low on his chest.

"You…will…do…no…such…thing!" She spoke like a queen giving an order and it was so effective that Jacob was tempted to give in.

It was clear that he had to change tactics, "Alright! Go it alone, but first would you at least like something to drink and a chance to warm your feet by my fire?"

"More than you know." She replied in a low voice.

Just because Bella was a vampire did not mean that she wasn't cold anymore. On the contrary, she had been freezing for decades and the offer was sublime. After all, she had time to sit and warm herself which was a rarity for the cool skinned beauty.

Jacob opened the door and as Bella passed beneath his arm he brought it down and captured her in a bear hug. She almost killed him in that instant but suspected heroics so she let him lead.

"I'm so sorry Miss Swan, but I can't let you die out there." His voice was hot in her ear and she was touched by his chivalry, however, she was in no mood for arguments.

Bella grabbed his arm and threw him through the wall.

The regret she immediately felt for having treated him so roughly (after all he was only trying to protect a strange woman from a most displeasing and undeserved death) was replaced with shock as a thunderous wolf came barreling back through the hole Jacob had left in the thatch home.

Two gigantic paws landed on her chest and drove her to the ground. Once on her back Bella felt sour panic and drew her feet up. She placed both dirty leather boots on his stomach and pushed out with all her strength.

Jacob disappeared upward as the house exploded outward. The enormous wolf exited the house via a new hole created in the roof and didn't land until he had sailed over his chicken coop…

And his horse barn…

And his garden…

And outhouse…

And a big rock two hundred feet away.

He landed on his back and left a crater in the soft earth that to this day stays filled with water year round. He stood up and watched what remained of his house crumble around the super human girl.

_What is she?_ He thought to himself.

Before he could move the girl raised both hands and yelled. "I do not wish to hurt you. Just let me pass."

Jacob transformed in front of her hoping that his humanity would help her see reason. She saw his humanity all right and it certainly made her forget what she was doing for a moment…or two.

Jacob walked over to her, his motion only making the "distraction" swing to and fro.

"You obviously can take care of yourself, but now that I have no shelter for the night I insist that I accompany you to your destination." He stopped ten feet from her and put his hands on his hips.

Bella was staring. Silently.

"Fine!" She suddenly barked. "You have one minute to get dressed."

Jacob smiled and then his naked body quivered then exploded in a frenzy of fangs and fur. The wolf padded over to her and sat down as if to say, _Ready when you are._

They spent more than twenty summers together in those caves, ridding the area of unmentionables and learning about each other's abilities. Bella's weakness to the sun was her biggest concern but it was Jacob who suggested that he stand watch while she slept. Since he did not age he could protect her indefinitely. This became one of the happiest times Bella had spent since she was turned. She grew to love Jacob like a brother but still stole an occasional curious peek at his transformation.

She also admired his self control and watched as he meditated. She had no interest in such pursuits but then again did not have the inconvenience of turning into a great hulking beast every time she lost her temper.

Bella liked losing her temper.

Jacob attempted over the years to convince her that it was in her best interest to learn coping skills but she declined politely every time.

He met and fell in love with Leah in the spring of 1645 and Bella left him in peace to raise a family. He begged her to stay but knew that she wouldn't. Their time had been winding down and they had both felt it. They were going through a sort of life crisis having both crossed the century mark during their time together. And now each longed for purpose. Jacob found that love was his purpose and he loved Leah for a lifetime, but her lifetime had ended two centuries ago.

His purpose lost left Jacob a reclusive wretch who did not need to turn into a wolf to scare people away.

* * *

Bella authored a letter to Jacob the night she first brought Alice to the theatre as a fellow vampire. She didn't use the established currier system; instead she hired a rider to take the letter to Jacob almost 600 miles away on Spain's west coast.

**My Beloved Jacob,**

**I hope this letter finds you well and**

**I pray for your continued health.**

**I beseech you my friend… **

**Come live with me in Paris.**

**I desperately need you to help me **

**calm my mind. **

**I have put people I love in terrible**

**danger and I fear that it will be my**

**eventual downfall.**

**I am ready to learn from you.**

**Please consider it. **

**I can give you new purpose and **

**impressive wages for helping me **

**run my theatre. I will even build you a **

**grand chariot to drive us around in.**

**Please hurry Jacob. I need you now**

**more than ever.**

**Your Eternal Bella**

Reading her letter, Jacob smiled. She knew how to tempt her old friend. He loved coaches and horses and always wanted a custom wagon that could comfortably hold him, but it was when she offered purpose that he made up his mind to go.

Besides, if it didn't work out, he could _still_ kill himself.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**The kind reviews sent in by those of you who got in on the ground floor warmed my heart and I am truly grateful. Thank you. Receiving one from SR felt like a call from the president! **

**Thank you to SydneyTwiMum for interviewing me for her blog.**

**I've worked hard to be historically accurate with most things, but there may be unintentional discrepancies in fashion, hair styles, music and the like. If such discrepancies have you saying to yourself: **_**That wasn't really around back then, **_**I would like to respectfully submit: **_**Neither were vampires.**_

**Also, I would like to mention that if I could make the font bigger I would. I am legally blind and I find the size of this text maddeningly small. I can only assume that some of you feel the same.**

**I would also like to recommend **_**The Darkest Evening **_**by c. anna cullen. It is a prequel for **_**Twilight **_**and ****the writing and attention to detail are amazing!**

**Lastly, in honor of the Olympics I wanted to share with you the reason French is the official language of the games. It's because the French language allows no misinterpretations. Every sound is wholly unique and cannot even be **_**accidently**_** mistaken for something else. Take this English phrase for example: "I love you." Can't misunderstand that right? Well, what if it was spelled "Isle of ewe." (Not to be confused with the Isle of Esme.) But you can see that it would be important for translating purposes to have a base language that always says what it means and means nothing else.**

**Until next week…**

**MOG**


	3. Chapter 3: Up In The Air

**Disclaimer:**

**If I had written Twilight, I would have noticed.**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Up In The Air**

After his introduction to Bella, Edward floated home. The narrow streets of Paris were well traveled, even after midnight, and he had plenty of people to beam at as he strolled in the moonlight. As he turned onto his own street, Edward spotted Jacob riding towards him. He was sitting in the bucket of a huge chariot made of black polished wood.

_Rosalie must have invited him in, _Edward thought as he raised his hand in a wave.

Upon seeing Edward, Jacob's impassive face was suddenly consumed by a look of confusion. When he had escorted Rosalie home, Jacob expected he would never see her brother alive again. He had only expected to return home to retrieve Edward's body from a stainless steel tub deep in the bowels of the theatre. Various scenarios rapidly began running through Jacob's mind. How had Edward escaped? Had Bella let Edward leave on his own? Or, least likely of all, had Edward harmed Bella? As this last question entered his mind, Jacob's heart began to race. He tried desperately to conceal his worst fears.

Edward, unaware of Jacob's conflict, stopped when he saw Jacob pull back on the reins.

"How are you this evening, Edward?" Jacob asked cautiously.

"Wonderful. How are you?" Edward's bright smile was dazzling.

Jacob studied Edward's response and body language carefully. Edward appeared very relaxed. He did not come across like someone who had just fought with and possibly killed a vampire. As startling as Edward's presence was for Jacob, he simply could not imagine this boy hurting his mistress. Nevertheless, Jacob needed to piece together the facts.

"I'm fine." Jacob kept his voice measured. "Did you have a good time with Bella?"

"Oh yes, and she's invited me to come play for her tomorrow evening."

Jacob's confusion now intensified but he also found himself filled with relief. "Wonderful. I'll be looking for you."

Edward watched as Jacob gathered the leather reins in his gloved hands. "You left with Rosalie so long ago." Edward observed. "Did she invite you in?"

Jacob smiled, a trace of humor reaching his eyes. "Why…yes. Yes, she did invite me in. Good Night."

He snapped the straps and the horses trotted him past Edward. The two men exchanged farewell waves at they passed closest to each other and Edward thought how nice it was that Rosalie had met someone as friendly as Jacob. If she had asked him into the house, it must mean she was interested in him as a suitor. True, Rosalie had never lacked for male attention but Jacob seemed different from her usual choices. And given her persistent bad mood, Edward was suddenly hopeful that some of Jacob's goodness would bring out his sister's lighter side. They rarely saw eye to eye, however, Edward wanted nothing but the best for his one and only sister.

Edward reached the house at half past two and he ascended a mountain of stone steps which lazily swept up the landscaping and opened onto a large flat porch in front of a heavy white door. The front doors opened to a grand multicolored stone entryway that sat between two large wings with spacious high ceilinged rooms on two floors. As he stepped inside, he could see directly into the garden through glass paned double doors located at the other end of the entryway. The house was U shaped with the garden in the middle.

To the left was the parlor. It had a polished light wooden floor and a deep blue davenport that boasted twelve sections and stretched around two walls. It sat in the room where one could look through the large windows facing the garden, now flooded with moonlight. Ornate carved wooden shelves stuffed with music books sat on either side of the sprawling sofa and a writing desk was the lone occupant on the far wall save for a door that led into the dining room and kitchen. The center of the parlor was dominated by a beautiful and moon streaked grand piano. Edward taught lessons on it four days a week. His next lesson was at ten o'clock in the morning, barely seven hours away.

The stairs for each wing ran separately down either side of the main entrance. The wall near the stairs leading above the parlor had a portrait of the Cullens hanging on it. Rosalie and Esme were standing behind the two Cullen men who were seated back to back in wooden chairs. All family members wore soft smiles, except for Rosalie. The opposite wall held one of Esme's oil paintings - a huge and colorful picture of sunflowers. She and Carlisle lived in the other wing in private quarters that took up the whole second floor, with a billiard room, study, and studio located on the ground level.

Edward quietly made his way upstairs, past Rosalie's private quarters and stopped at the end of the hall in front of his door. This garden side of the hall had windows that looked down on the flowerbeds and statues. Edward paused to gaze at the small stone bird bath that sat near a brick patio in one corner. The water was smooth and black, untouched by the light. When he entered his room he lit an oil lamp, using matches stored in his nightstand, and brought it with him to the bathroom. On his way there he could see firelight flickering behind the curtains in the other wing. _Dad must have gotten home just before me. I wonder if he met Jacob._

Once inside the bathroom, Edward stripped off all of his clothes and padded over to the wash basin to splash tepid water on his face and chest. Water trickled down his stomach and became trapped in the dusting of fine hair on his lower abdomen. A tiny reflection of candlelight stood out on each bead of water that clung to his naked skin. The cool water was refreshing but the sudden change of temperature gave Edward goose bumps.

As he continued to wet his arms and legs, Edward found himself replaying the evening's events in his mind. He could not stop thinking about Bella. He had been riveted by her from the moment she took the stage and could not believe his good fortune when Jacob approached him and told him Bella wanted to meet him. Initially, Edward was unsure what they could discuss but then realized that, if nothing else, he could talk to her about music.

Edward had always turned to music as a release and seemed to write morning, noon and night. Sometimes he desperately wanted to scream instead of sing, or punch instead of play but his heart just wasn't in it. He was a romantic and romantics poured their souls out in song. This made the already attractive, although oblivious, Edward more desirable to single and married women alike. Even so his severe lack of confidence would have been an insurmountable obstacle.

Edward sometimes played out in his mind how ridiculous it would be to take a lady up to his bedroom. What then? Take his clothes off and strut around? Or lie down on the bed? Or take her clothes off? He wouldn't get halfway through a woman's layers before giving up with inexperienced frustration. He just couldn't seem to picture himself doing anything to initiate sex.

His thoughts returned to earlier in the evening when he had met with Bella in her dressing room. Edward had been blessed with a glimpse of her beautiful cleavage. She had not stood up when he walked over to shake her hand and the memory of her partially exposed breasts would remain with him forever. After he had stumbled through his greeting and turned hastily to sit on the couch across from her, Edward had finally noticed Bella's state of dress. He realized it would have been quite easy to undress her as she had been clad in only a white sleeping gown. Edward had briefly studied its simple construction. One mere sweep of his hand and the garment would have fallen down around her waist. He was now ashamed to admit he had been tempted to do just that. His desire to touch Bella had clouded his mind but he was determined to remain seated on the couch. His father had raised him to respect and admire women and this, combined with Edward's natural shyness in matters of love, kept him firmly rooted to the spot.

Edward gathered up his clothes along with the lamp and returned to his bedroom. He usually put on a night shirt that hung down to his knees and fell fast asleep but tonight was different. He lay on top of his blankets letting the water dry on his hard body before crawling under the covers, naked. The open doors of his balcony invited in a sweet summer breeze that ruffled his sheets as he continued to think about Bella.

Not only had he been able to meet the finest young talent he had ever seen, but then she had asked to hear him play. Edward found his sleep invaded by snippets of melodies and ideas for lyrics. There was no question that he should write something original for her…_Or was that too familiar? _He let the question sink into the back of his head as the cool pillow smashed his hair only to feel it rise back up for a rebuttal.

_She didn't ask you to sing Edward. She asked you to play._

That was true and he could easily play a song for _her _to sing, something clever like _Bella mia fiamma...Resta o cara,_ or better yet, _Vado, ma dove? _Edward could play either of those two arias or countless others but he was a poet and poets write, especially when they experience strong emotions. This was something he had learned in school where as a small beautiful boy he was sometimes beaten to the point of torture by much older students while certain teachers sneered and chortled into their pipes.

As the night dragged on, Edward realized he was very excited at the prospect of writing a song that would stir emotions in him. He had volumes of poetry and music but he was always writing through the eyes of someone else. Since music was an escape, he never wrote about himself. That was about to change as he knew that this night had fundamentally changed him.

Edward's last thought before finally drifting off to sleep was how he felt like he could achieve anything with Bella by his side.

* * *

The following morning the smell of cooking toast and eggs drifted out of the kitchen through the back door and directly up to Edward's balcony. He rose from bed and placed his unused nightshirt back into the bureau. Dressed casually in brown trousers and a white shirt, he emerged from his room, walked past Rosalie's door, down the stairs and through the parlor. On his way past the piano he brushed the keys lightly with his slender fingers resting on a G chord, the key he usually sung in, and hummed himself through the swinging kitchen door.

Esme was wearing a patchwork apron and attending to the coffee pot. Carlisle, up early to attend church, was seated at the small square table usually used for food preparations. He was reading the paper and, by the look of it, he had been up for a while.

All the Cullens had been in the habit of taking breakfast in the kitchen because it was a quick meal and had multiple elements. Esme set the table ahead of time and put out the food right when it was hot. If you were one round behind, like Edward, you were apt to find a slice of toast resting slightly beneath scrambled eggs covered with grated melting cheese.

Edward breezed into the bright room, went directly over to his mother and placed a light kiss on her cheek. He then opened the door to the left of the cooking stove and stepped out onto a back porch that served both wings. He always relished standing in the morning sun, allowing it to warm his face and bare feet. After a minute or two, an invigorated Edward returned to the kitchen and took his seat at the table. Carlisle folded down his paper at the sound of the chair scraping on the kitchen floor.

"Edward, my boy." Carlisle said. "I thought you were Rosalie. I heard her moving around up there." He snapped the paper back up and began reading again.

"Good Morning, Dad." Edward chirped.

Carlisle was a surgeon which made him a remarkable chef, a patient gardener and according to his wife, a phenomenal lover. He always had two or three other doctors following him due to his strong reputation as a teacher and he usually worked twelve hour shifts, sometimes longer. Carlisle was a slender man, about five foot ten, but he carried himself like a giant. His blonde hair was always slicked back and he often wore a bemused but inquisitive expression on his face.

"How was the concert?" Esme batted Edward's hair while she poured his coffee.

Edward was instantly animated. "She was amazing, Mom! I had a great time! You and Dad will love it."

"Heard nothing but good things," came Carlisle's muffled voice from behind the paper.

"Thanks again for the tickets, Dad. I think Rosalie liked it a lot too."

"Glad to do it." Carlisle smiled behind the paper. "Besides you two could've saved me the trouble if she was just another vogue night princess attempting to get by on gimmick."

Edward's expression became intense. "She has more presence than anyone I've seen before and her range has got to be six octaves!" He carefully reconsidered his claim. "Maybe five octaves."

"Why do you suppose she starts her show so late?" Carlisle asked.

"I've heard it's because most of her musicians are bandleaders and headliners in their own right and this was the only time they could all gather to perform."

"Well." Carlisle put his paper down and turned his attention to the bacon slices Esme was placing next to his toast crumbs, "Should be quite a show."

Rosalie now skipped through the kitchen door in lavender slippers. She glided over to her mother and kissed the same spot on her cheek Edward had. "Good Morning."

The bustling activity in the kitchen stopped.

Edward, who had been lifting a fork full of eggs to his mouth, froze with his jaw hung open. Esme continued to stare down at the limp bacon convulsing in the pan while Carlisle's eyebrows seemingly hit the ceiling.

Rosalie never said Good Morning. She never said Good Anything.

"Morning, Rose." Edward offered first. "Did you sleep well?"

"What did you mean by that?" Rosalie quickly turned to face her younger brother and her overreaction was noted by both men. "I mean..yes." She lightly stepped over to the table to sit down.

Carlisle turned his attention to the last of his coffee as Edward gave his sister a quizzical look. They were still in the middle of a staring contest of sorts when Esme came over to pour her daughter some tea and bully her into eating something. When she felt she had made her case to Rosalie she asked the room, "Did anyone see that big black carriage parked in front of the house for an hour last night?"

Rosalie choked on her coffee.

"I know." Esme said, misinterpreting her daughter's reaction. "It's a bit disturbing isn't it?" Rosalie nodded her head grateful for the assumption.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Carlisle asked.

"You weren't home yet, Dear. Besides, it wasn't dangerous. Just peculiar that's all." Esme finally sat down and dipped a piece of toast into her coffee and took a bite. "I think it must have been windy as well because that coach was rocking back and forth for a while."

Edward choked on his coffee.

Shortly thereafter, Rosalie excused herself and went back upstairs having eaten quite a bit in the short time she spent at the table. She had hoped to tell her mother about her new love interest during breakfast but after discovering that her intercessions were conspicuous at best, she resolved to wait until later that morning. Perhaps by then her mother would not reach the same conclusion as her annoying yet astute brother.

Edward and Esme discussed the day's schedule. Since he taught mostly children it usually fell upon her to entertain their mothers during the lesson time. She always insisted on being available to Edward during his working days, even though he encouraged his mother to focus on her own hobbies. While it was true that she enjoyed her duties as a hostess, her reasoning for remaining in the Cullen house was not apparent to her naïve son.

Esme noticed the attention her fit and handsome Edward received from females of all ages. It was not the young girls who usually concerned her – although there were a questionable few she kept her eye on. It was the mothers who appeared in her parlor dressed in their finest outfits that truly upset her. It was not uncommon for them to try and linger while the students began predetermined scale exercises.

Esme had become quite skilled in removing them from the parlor.

During the lessons, the women would inevitably peek at Edward from the garden while pretending to listen to Esme's conversation. It was not lost on her that she only captured their undivided attention when she chose to discuss Edward's many talents. Even the mothers who had healthy and kind husbands to go home to leered at the strapping and friendly young man.

Much to Esme's annoyance, they giggled like geese whenever two or more of them were gathered in his name.

"Isn't Bethany Rascal your first student today?" Esme asked.

Bethany had been one of Edward's first students and, at age seventeen, was not much younger than he. She had always been genuinely polite to Esme and had a sweet nature with Edward. Bethany was one of the few girls she had considered worthy of her son.

"Yes." Edward replied a little distracted. Esme noticed it but did not say anything. Edward was often distracted.

"She is turning into a lovely young woman. Don't you think?"

"She is very beautiful in fact." Edward said. Fully realizing his mother's intentions, he decided it was time to take a risk. "But I have dinner plans with another woman this evening and I'd like to see where it goes before I start…"

"Oh? Edward!" Esme squealed so loud that Rosalie heard the exclamation upstairs. "Did you meet her at the show last night? What's her name? Is she pretty?"

Edward allowed himself a chuckle, thankful that his mother was indeed happy for him. "Yes, I did meet her last night," He paused for dramatic effect, earning a tortured look from his mother. "It's Bella Swan."

Esme was ecstatic. "She's famous!"

Upstairs Rosalie wondered what had her mother all in a dither.

"I know she's famous, but that's not important." Edward sighed, which made Esme sigh. "She's brilliant and quick witted and the most beautiful woman in the world-"

Edward paused as Carlisle lowered his paper and fixed his son with a stare. "Except for you, Mom." Edward added maintaining eye contact with his father. Satisfied with his son's correction, Carlisle returned his attention back to the newspaper.

"Where are you taking her?" Esme asked.

Edward was suddenly embarrassed by his lack of planning. "I don't know. She wants to meet at the theatre so I can play for her then I suppose that we will dine at a nearby restaurant."

"The theatre? Why don't you bring her here?"

Edward blushed. "I will, Mother. Some other time."

Carlisle's filtered voice sprang from behind the paper again. "I'd like to meet the young lady myself, Son."

"You will. You both will but let me try to scare her away myself first." He sat quietly at their small nicked table while a splash of sunlight warmed his neck. A rainbow created from the small prisms Esme kept in the garden window bathed a lock of his bangs.

"I was a complete buffoon last night." He reflected.

"Couldn't have been that bad, after all, she agreed to go out with you." Carlisle wanted to reassure his son.

"Actually, she asked me." Edward revealed timidly.

"Really?" Esme squealed once more.

Upstairs, Rosalie brushed her hair and rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ma'am!" Edward stated proudly, "She sent for me as soon as the show was over and invited me to meet with her backstage."

The parents exchanged looks. "What did she want?" Carlisle asked.

Edward opened his mouth to speak and then paused. He knew she wanted to hear him play piano, but that was only after she found out he could. _Why did she want to see me? _He thought and closed his mouth. _Did she _want_ me?_ Edward opened his mouth again.

His parents waited.

"We both studied at _Garnier_." He remembered. "She wanted to ask me to come by and play something for her." He gulped. "Tonight."

"What are you going to play?" Esme wondered aloud.

"I was hoping to write something but with lessons all afternoon I was hoping to skip services this morning and compose." He directed this last statement to his father asking the question with his eyes.

Carlisle laughed out loud clapping both hands on his stomach, "You go to church twice as often as I do, Edward." He looked over to his son and held his gaze. "You don't have to ask my permission. You're a man now."

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. And...Son?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"If you were with Bella Swan backstage, then where was your sister?"

"Bella's chauffer brought her home." The words were out before Edward could stop himself.

Esme rose from the table. "Does this chauffer drive a big black carriage?" She asked.

Edward did not answer.

Both parents looked up at the ceiling and trumpeted.

"Rosalie Lillian!"

* * *

Edward was fully dressed by eight. When he went back downstairs his parents had collected a brooding Rosalie and were escorting her to a much needed church service. The parting look she gave Edward was fierce and venomous. He attempted to give his sister an apologetic look (even though he knew it had no hope of succeeding) and then he turned his mind back to music.

The sunshine followed Edward into the parlor and was his sole companion as he wrote. The autobiographical nature of his outpouring made his skin buzz with the secrets he released. He crafted a sentimental puzzle that dove into wells so deep he hadn't begun to fully investigate them yet. He opened up about how his mind worked – it feared. He explained how his heart worked - it sang; and he wrote about how his soul worked - it prayed. Edward told Bella that she was the very thing that unlocked all of his potential.

He found a sweet and simple melody that complimented the earnest, if somewhat pedantic lyrics. Edward's tenor voice filled the sun streaked room, a touch raspy but powerful and true. He sang in rhyming couplets because it seemed more….old fashioned.

As the pieces of his new song fell into place, Edward knew with all his heart that he was composing the truth. He felt far more eloquent performing his song and was happy he would not be stammering and stuttering the whole time he was with Bella. Still he could not deny the flutter of wings in his stomach as he thought of being alone with her. Sharing his music with Bella would be the most intimate thing he had ever done with a woman.

Bethany and her mother arrived a few minutes early with the Cullens right behind them.

Carlisle wandered off to his study a little too quickly, while Rosalie stomped upstairs and slammed her door.

During the next four hours and four lessons Edward second guessed his song. Maybe he should just play one of the pieces he heard Bella sing last night. He had at least three of them memorized and had music to five or six selections at least.

While Edward's mind was focused on the upcoming evening, Esme chatted with immaculately dressed women in the garden. Once again she watched mothers as they stole glances through the large windows while listening to the faint caresses of muted piano notes. Today's gathering had the enjoyment of attempting to get a better look at the white shirt he wore peeking out above his pants before disappearing beneath his brown suede vest. They also caught a glimpse of his suspenders buttoned to the back of his trousers and pulling them tight against his bottom. When he sat down at the bench the line of his shirt was like a snowy horizon filled with blissful possibilities.

Edward was a patient and insightful teacher who coaxed the shy ones out of their shells and focused the over excited ones on the task at hand. He often played duets with his students which had the unintended result of making mothers jealous of their own daughters.

Esme provided lemonade which Edward never failed to drink and thank his mother for. She also brought him a plate of bread, cheese and grapes to snack on as the afternoon sluggishly moved on. He had never seen time pass so slowly. The stubborn shadows seemed to stay in the same spot for hours on end. By the time he excused the last budding pianist, politely entertained her mother's endless questions, dressed for the evening and left for the _Theatre de la Nuit,_ the sky was a mural of pinks and oranges.

The evening streets were alive for a Sunday night and as Edward caught sight of the theatre he was surprised to see how much of its detail he had missed the night before. The building itself was not miraculous, a simple brick structure, three stories tall and perfectly square. What made it stand out was its color. Bella had the entire theatre painted black and on each brick was a hand painted crescent gold moon. The artistry was visionary and Edward wondered how many more surprises were in store for him.

Jacob was standing just inside the lobby and opened the door when he saw Edward approaching. Bella had explained her change of heart about Edward and had asked him to wheel out the baby grand for a private performance. Jacob, although quite surprised, was pleased to see that Bella was no longer denying her basic needs. Although taking in Edward's appearance once more, he couldn't help but think that she was liable to break the thin lad in half.

He greeted Edward warmly and inwardly approved of his smart wardrobe. He noticed that Edward was wearing custom Italian boots, black dress pants and a pale yellow shirt that rested beneath a tailored plum colored silk vest. He had a countryside look to him that suited his unruly hair and smiling eyes. Edward saw that Jacob was dressed all in white even down to his shoes and thought that he would make a perfect angel in a play dressed like that.

"Hello, Jacob. Thank you for seeing my sister home last night. I trust you weren't put out." Edward's tone was dry. He liked Jacob but that didn't mean he approved of his behavior with his sister.

_Oh who am I kidding._ Edward thought as he walked through the open door. _Rosalie is about as chaste as Mary Magdalene_.

"It was all my pleasure I assure you Edward." Jacob was shameless yet Edward could not find it in him to be angry and he found himself wishing he had half of Jacob's charisma.

"I hope I'm on time for my appointment with Miss Swan."

"Appointment?" Jacob cocked his head to the side and grinned widely. "Where I'm from we call it something else."

Edward chose not to respond to that.

"Go on down to the stage." Jacob directed him. "Bella is somewhere in one of the balconies. She likes to walk around up there and sing." He gave Edward about three seconds to react then added. "Well, get going. She's been all a twitter since she woke up."

In truth Bella had been a panicked mess. She had begged for Jacob's assistance in calming her cravings and as always he obliged by helping her focus her mind.

And by luring in someone she could feed on.

As soon as Edward entered the auditorium he could hear Bella's voice high above him. She was humming a light lily sound that made him shiver with anticipation. He lifted his eyes in search of her but could not see her. He felt like he could stand there and listen to Bella all evening but he barely received a few moments before he heard her speak.

"Good evening, Edward." Bella's voice caressed his ears and he licked his lips involuntarily. "I'll meet you onstage. Do you like my baby grand?"

Edward looked down at the stage and saw a piano which was painted in the exact opposite palate of the theatre's exterior. It was a brilliant gold, possibly even gold plated and had a dozen black moons expertly painted on its body.

"Why didn't you use it last night?" Edward asked as he began walking toward the stage. He was impressed with the instruments unique beauty but would reserve judgment until he played it.

"Sometimes I do when it's a smaller number." Edward, still unable to see Bella, guessed that she was trotting down some stairs by the way her voice bobbed up and down. "It usually sits upper stage left. Last night I needed an orchestra."

Edward who had just reached the orchestra pit walked around it sliding his fingers on the polished wooden railing. He looked down at scattered chairs and an upright piano that looked like it had glass tubes laced all over it.

"The pit of the theatre is the one place where the tears of virtuous and wicked men alike are mingled." His voice was quiet, speaking more to himself.

"Denis Diderot." The soft voice came from directly behind him.

Edward was genuinely startled and yelped in shock. Bella's mouth twitched but there was no way she was going to be able to hold the laugh in. Edward turned slowly looking embarrassed but delighted. Bella was barely holding herself together and seeing his beautiful and amused face pushed her over the edge. She allowed herself a wide smile hoping that it would relieve enough pressure to keep her from braying like a horse.

Before he could stop himself, Edward snorted a laugh of his own. The loud report as his voice echoed in the chamber startled him a second time and he jumped….once again.

That did it. They both lost control and collapsed into each others arms laughing without anxiety or hesitation. They looked earnestly at each other both crying and cackling in their embrace. It was magical for them both and, in that moment, Edward finally made up his mind to sing his new song. Neither of them seemed willing to break contact and they stayed close for a precious few moments longer.

When Edward stepped back he wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and Bella smiled warmly at him.

"Are you ready to play for me?"

He bowed slightly "Yes. I am."

"I'm going back up into the balcony. I have a private box up there that I rarely get to use." She turned to go but his worried look made her hesitate.

"What is it, Dear?"

"I don't know if you'll be able to hear me from up there."

"Yes I will." She said with a light laugh, "This piano can fill the room just try it." She began walking again.

"I was more worried about you hearing my voice."

Bella stopped and faced him. "Why Edward Cullen…Are you going to _sing_ me a song?"

"It's probably not that good but…"

She took a step towards him. "Why Edward Cullen…Are you going to sing me a song you _wrote_?"

"Well, yes. I…It's just that I wanted something special for tonight."

Bella walked right up to him and waited until her lips were almost brushing his when she whispered.

"Why Edward Cullen…Are you going to sing a song you wrote for _me_?"

Edward's breath caught at her proximity. Unable to hold her intense stare, he lowered his eyes. "Yes."

Without thinking, he licked his lips again. Bella was so close to him that the tip of his tongue skimmed across her lower lip. She felt an exhilarated electricity course through her body and caress her most tender places. He quickly looked back into her eyes, seeking her reaction to his accidental touch and was overwhelmed when he saw her desire.

"I am honored Edward. You'll have to sing loud." With that she sped off to her perch high above stage.

Bella was delighted that she would hear this gorgeous man sing to her. She had never anticipated anything more than a piano recital. Every moment she spent with him only amplified her belief that sparing his life had been the correct decision.

Edward seated himself at the piano and allowed his long fingers to trace the notes he would soon play. Bella strolled up to the middle balcony anxious to hear words from his heart. When she was seated he lowered his head and took a calming breath, which did nothing to settle his nerves. Edward began to play.

The piano was indeed a well crafted instrument and the music rolled off the stage and filled up the room. His pitch was true but his voice was shaky at first. He felt so small on the big stage and hoped his steadying voice could reach Bella's waiting ears. By the time he had completed the first verse and chorus he was singing with confidence. Edward dared himself to look up at Bella as he sang and his bravery was rewarded by a bright smile and a visible sigh from his singular audience.

He drove the keys into the piano with practiced fingers and lost himself in the melody. Bella cocked her head to the side at the mention of a prayer and was pleased that Edward sang about a spiritual pursuit. Edward shook his head back and forth as he sang and allowed his eyes to close. He heard his voice spreading out into the room.

Edward had run out of time before he could write a bridge or solo so he kept singing after the second chorus, aware that he was on the final stretch. Edward was at his most vulnerable here. His voice quivered with emotion that gave way to a sweet natural vibrato and as he looked up at Bella one last time he felt his eyes prickle with newborn tears.

The last chord echoed through the large open space and melted into the walls. Bella was deeply charged with emotion and wondered if she was going to faint in her chair. Edward exhaled in relief, pleased that he had left a worthy offering to Bella as well as to the stage. Even though he felt that it was missing something, Edward believed it was honestly good and allowed himself to take pride in it.

"That was beautiful, Edward." Bella sniffed, her voice falling to his grateful ears.

Edward looked up at her. "Thank you, Bella. I meant every word."

"I'm very flattered but…" Bella instantly regretted the conjunction. She paused to gauge Edward's reaction to her error.

"But what?" Edward asked. His expression was curious but she could not tell if she had upset him.

"Nothing." Bella said a little too quickly. "I was thinking of something else."

Edward played an angry chord playfully on the piano. "I respect you as a gifted performer Bella. I welcome your input."

"That's just it." She said, her white face poking over the box rail like a lone dandelion, "I don't know exactly how to explain it."

Edward knew what she meant but decided to work through the issue. "Just choose the simplest way to say it even if it's not exactly _right."_

Bella thought for a moment then replied. "It's missing something."

"Ha!" Edward exclaimed. "I knew it!" He waited. "I don't know what to do about it." He turned sideways on the piano bench straddling it. This simple change in posture nearly succeeded in distracting Bella from the conversation altogether.

"May I work on it for a while with my orchestra? We have a loose session every Monday night to discuss next week's show and that would be a good time to…" Bella's words cut off as she stood up suddenly.

Before Edward could react he felt the world drop out from under him with a tremendous crack.

He was falling right through the stage floor - the piano next to him sliding closer as it moved freely through the air. He turned his eyes upward and saw the hanging lights above the stage as his ears pounded with the sounds of splintering wood and strained musical notes groaning all around him. Edward had just enough time to prepare himself for the pain he would suffer when he felt his arm being wrenched above his head. He watched the piano disappear and crash with a horrendous 'thunk' as he dangled from his injured shoulder above the jagged mess.

Edward now realized he was not going to fall.

He looked at his arm and his eyes focused on the small white hand clamped around his wrist. He then moved his gaze up along the petite arm before meeting Bella's wide eyes. The terrified look on her face showed that she was more scared than he was. She was holding him with one hand and Edward's face was level with the stage and he looked across at her feet.

They weren't touching the floor.

Edward dangled twenty feet above the collapsed stage held up by a slender and frightened woman, floating five inches above the ground.

* * *

**NOTES:**

**I would like to sincerely and publicly thank my Beta, Jennifer Locklear. (You may know her as: AquariumJenn). She has refused to take co-author credit even though her fingerprints are ALL OVER THIS THING! She has contributed to character development, plot, and settings and if it weren't for her correcting all the stuff I get wrong, you would think you were reading this in Klingon. So a big thanks to Jennifer who, if she really didn't want a little recognition, would've deleted this note.**

**(Jenn's Sneaky Note: You're welcome, Mog! I love being the first one to get to read it!)**

**Thanks to cullenluv for providing important background information.**

**I don't plan on releasing any teasers here but my wife and I are always leaking stuff on twitter. If you're interested I would be glad to follow you as well: MorganLocklear.**

**One final note, and thank you for indulging me, but I recently discovered a story called: **_**An Introduction To Swirl And Daisy **_**by m81170. It chronicles the lives of Edward and Bella at age thirteen and is, in a word, perfect. Do me and yourself a favor and find this brilliant story.**


	4. Chapter 4: Down In The Dumps

**Disclaimer:**

**If I had written Twilight, I would hurry up and finish Midnight Sun.**

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Down in the Dumps**

Jacob heard the crash and came thundering through the auditorium. He could see a big jagged hole in the center of the stage where the piano had been and the pale and limp Edward dangling from the pale and hovering Bella. Ignoring the stairs, he jumped over the maw of the orchestra pit and up to the four foot lip of the stage. He lifted Edward from Bella's iron grasp like he was a baby.

"Get him to the hospital, Jacob. I hurt his arm." Bella was crying freely at the sight of Edward's shoulder grotesquely stretching the fabric of his shirt sleeve. He was conscious but silent.

"What the hell happened?" Jacob asked as he peered down at the gold piano. The instrument had landed in Bella's living quarters, demolishing some of her furniture.

"I don't know." Bella's voice was quiet and full of fear. "He just fell through the floor."

As Jacob's eyes began to turn from the scene in the basement back toward Bella, he noticed her state of levitation. He gestured to her feet with a look of mild surprise. This was only the newest of many unique talents she had developed over the course of their friendship. The shock of such things no longer impacted Jacob. Bella looked down at her feet and immediately dropped to the ground.

"I don't know about that either." She mumbled absentmindedly, her distress mounting as Edward's wide eyes and mute mouth begged for answers.

Jacob had a theory about what had transpired and immediately blamed himself. He had helped to load the heavy instrument onto the stage several weeks before. It sat untouched in the large wings on stage left until today when he moved it to center stage. It occurred to him then that the only thing that ever stood at center stage over the last eight years was Bella and she weighed one hundred fifteen pounds, soaking wet and holding a pumpkin. Jacob wasn't sure what renovations Bella had made to the theatre, but the stage must have appeared in good condition and had been left alone. He should have felt the weakness in the wood but it had escaped his attention.

Jacob bent his face down to Edward, who was already going into shock, and whispered a tender and sincere apology before bolting out of the theatre, carrying the injured boy in his arms.

Bella, who knew she would be heard even as Jacob pounded up the aisle and out into the lobby, whispered. "I can't lose him Jacob. No matter what."

Now all alone in the theatre, she stalked up and down the stage like a caged gorilla and circled the hole, trying to contemplate what had gone wrong. Bella had been sleeping under that stage for years and it looked strong enough to hold three pianos**. **

She spent more than an hour lost in guilt and grief over Edward's injury and finally collapsed in a front row chair with her forehead resting on the pit rail and watching her tears spill onto the well swept floor.

Bella eventually walked to her private room at the back of the stage, taking the spiral staircase down to her apartment to assess the damage. She thought the piano could be salvaged as long as the sound board was intact. Her armoire was another story. It was smashed to pieces, revealing the narrow passage that led in the direction of Alice's shop.

_I hope she's back, _Bella thought as she surveyed the wreckage of her oak bed and a few unrecognizable fragments of what must have been something nice. Nothing she couldn't live without.

Nothing compared to Edward.

Bella ran down the damp and winding stone tunnel knowing that Alice's trip to Turkey, a yearly pilgrimage to collect exotic fabrics, ended with the _Kamer-Taj_ fair andthat she was due home any time. It was a well crafted passage and ran just over four hundred yards. It had been built in record time by a crew hired by Bella, taking only six months of blasting and digging. Since the men had all met untimely deaths in a reported cave in (making body retrieval impossible) only the two female vampires and their bodyguard know of the direct connection between the theatre and the dress shop.

Alice had long ago closed her boutique to the general public. Instead she used the upstairs space as a studio where she created spectacular clothing for the elite and wealthy vampire population of Paris. Downstairs, Alice's apartment held a collection of rugs and tapestries that covered every inch of available floor and wall space. Just as in Bella's apartment, she had two separate rooms and a secret vault placed directly beneath the bed. One room was for living, one for bathing. The vault was for emergencies. The bed was for…entertainment.

Alice used it for love. Bella used hers for reading.

One of the first things Bella had told Alice so many years ago while they were huddled under a pile of clothes and breathing silky air was that some humans had discovered and hunted vampires. Most humans found stories of vampires full of nonsense. Unfortunately careless vampires had left enough room for speculation by those obsessed with the subject. Bella had a paranoid streak and her wealth allowed her to indulge on her whims. She had built fire proof vaults into the floors with inside bolts and a bed frame built right on top of the thick steel doors. They could swing open and closed - if one were strong enough.

When Bella pushed Alice's armoire out of the way to enter her apartment, she found her friend jumping on the bed draped in fine linens. Bella ran in, bounded on top of the bed and took Alice by the shoulders. She had planned on telling Alice that she had finally met her soul mate, that he sang her a song he wrote for _her,_ that she had just watched as he fell through her stage floor and that she had just sent him to the hospital with Jacob. Instead she only could manage two words.

"I flew." Bella took a deep breath, relieved to have said so out loud.

Alice was the type who never asked 'what' or needed someone to repeat their statements simply because she had not thought of a proper response. She heard perfectly well what her disheveled friend had said and after a brief moment she spoke.

"Show me."

Bella wavered. "I don't know if I can do it again."

"What were you doing the first time it happened?" Alice was good at asking the right questions.

"Saving Edward's life." Bella's eyes darkened at the recent memory.

Silence. Bella glanced back at her friend.

Alice smiled.

"Who's Edward?" She sang.

"He's in the hospital thanks to me and I don't know what to do."

"Start at the beginning." Alice grasped Bella's hands and sat them both down on the silky and slippery bed. She waited patiently for Bella to formulate her words and did not interrupt as her friend recounted the past days events.

"That doesn't sound so bad, Sweetie." Bella's new beau sounded handsome. Alice had felt from the beginning of their friendship that Bella was in need of a man. Her descriptions of Edward told Alice that Bella would not be able to resist him for very long despite everything Jacob had been teaching her. Edward simply sounded too delicious.

Alice imagined Bella luring the unsuspecting young man over to the studio for a suit fitting. He would pose no threat to the two of them. It would be easy.

"What about the fact that he saw me fly? And the fact that I…can fly!?" This newest ability was more difficult for Bella to accept than any other skill she had acquired over her lifetime.

Alice considered her words. Edward had seen more than he should. He would have to be dealt with one way or the other soon. "Maybe he hit his head?"

Bella shook her head somberly. That would have made things much easier but she knew she had gotten to him before that could happen.

Sensing there was little more to be determined about Edward's knowledge for the time being, Alice moved on to other matters and convinced Bella to try the stunt again. It was a more fascinating subject.

Bella found that her residual nervousness was just as effective as her earlier fright when it came to sparking her defiance of gravity. She wafted back and forth in Alice's spacious living quarters discovering that she could use her chin to steer. Left. Right. Up. Down. The faster she flicked it, the faster she traveled. Bella quickly became distracted and Alice was pleased. Her frazzled friend was beginning to relax and even have a little fun. It might be a while before Jacob returned with news of Edward's condition and Bella needed structure.

When Alice grew tired of Bella's drills, she attempted to engage her in tales of her recent travels but at the first dip in conversation, Bella jumped up, no longer able to resist temptation.

"I'm going back to the theatre to wait for Jacob's return."

"I'll go with you." Alice resigned herself to Bella's agenda.

They walked single file down the dark stone tunnel. It wound around so much that it was possible to believe that you were actually going in circles. Bella was first and Alice followed, moving her armoire back into position on her way into the dark passage.

"Where did you say Jacob took Edward?" Alice's voice echoed through the cavern punctuated by the occasional drip of ground water seeping through the ceiling.

"Val-de-Grace." Bella's reply was short, her thoughts returning to him.

"Well," Alice scoffed. "You certainly can't go there." In the dark Bella nodded in agreement.

The hospital was a meat market and no vampire could stand to be within a thousand feet of it without going mad.

* * *

Jasper was transporting a body back to the morgue on a rickety wooden gurney when he ran into a hulking mass of a man with long black hair. He was windblown and his companion was obviously suffering from a dislocated shoulder. Dr. Whitlock pointed them down the correct corridor and then quietly continued to the basement of the medical facility that serviced military personnel as well as civilians.

Jasper was the morgue manager and had a reputation in the hospital for having a cast iron stomach and no sense of smell. These were considered valuable tools in his job as they were necessary to tolerate the surroundings. Paris had been in a burial crisis mode since _The Kings Louis_ and this meant hospitals sometimes had to store bodies for weeks until they were collected.

Jasper did not mind. He just held his breath all day and, besides, it was a good way to keep track of misguided vampires who underestimated a human's willingness to believe in the impossible. Vampires were hunted and Jasper had the bags of ashes to prove it. He had been feeding on humans for nearly two hundred years but felt the need to thin the vampire herd from time to time. Occasionally his race needed a reduction in imbeciles.

Bella had told Alice that vampires didn't die easily, but Jasper would have disagreed with that. So far, he had documented three different ways his kind could be killed. He studied the remains of humans and vampires alike and was, in a word, obsessed with the novelty of death.

The first way to kill a vampire was with fire. It was by far the most common and the easiest to identify. Humans did not burn the way vampires did. They charred and had a scorched sweet onion smell. Vampires became ashy and smelled…like brimstone.

Usually when a vampire was burned it was out of stupidity not murder, although Jasper had seen both. Stupid vampires got themselves killed by not planning ahead. They hid in haylofts with holes in the roof, they buried themselves on the beach leaving them exposed to the mercy of the tide and by jumping into wells as a last ditch effort to escape the morning sunlight, not realizing that when the sun hit the water they would cook like a crab.

Wells were commonly misused by stupid vampires. They dove into any hole when the Eastern sky turned pink. Sometimes they even got tangled in the well line after falling asleep only to have some farmer's wife drag them screaming up into the daylight. Terrified humans would scream themselves and drop the weakened invader back down into the well. The vampire would eventually be dragged back to the surface, back into the sunlight and beat with a shovel while baking to death on the ground.

Jasper had seen that scenario twice.

The second way to destroy a vampire was by decapitation. Vampire hunters preferred this method probably because it proved to be so dangerous. The predators would have to get close to cut a vampire's head off and that was not easy for humans. If they succeeded, it was a reward all its own. Hunters could possess a trophy skull, a bonus in any respect, but since vampires needed no oxygen, and decapitation left the brain intact, a newly severed head could remain conscious for hours, hissing and snapping, until the brain starved.

Jasper had even heard a story of one head being cut off through the shoulder meat, leaving the vocal cords undamaged. That vampire was rumored to have screamed obscenities so loud and for so long that his captors had finally placed him on a train track to encourage his silence. Ten minutes later a steam engine on its way from _Gare St. Lazare _had ended the tirade once and for all.

Poison was the third way Jasper had catalogued a vampire's death. There were many acids and poisons strong enough to cause significant tissue damage quickly and if the vampire's healing abilities could not stay in front of the foreign agent then it was only a matter of time before the brain was destroyed.

In all cases of vampire death, Jasper had noted one common denominator. The key to destroying a vampire was to corrupt the brain.

He suspected that there were even more dangers out there for his kind but had ruled out garlic, holy water and silver as minor annoyances at best. As near as he could observe one was delicious, one was refreshing and the other one was valuable.

Jasper deposited the new corpse in a wooden bin that already contained three bodies and made his way back upstairs intent on finding the two men he had spotted on his way down. In truth, he mostly wondered about the dark one who had been carrying the young man with the dislocated shoulder. Jasper knew at first sight that there was something different about him.

Jasper was younger than Bella by at least a century but had developed stupendous powers of observation. He wanted the opportunity to speak with this man while his friend received treatment. Jasper walked back up to the first level, hoping for the patient's sake, that he would not be assigned to Dr. Emmett McCarty.

_That boy hurt more people than he helped._ Jasper shook his head and smiled inwardly.

Jacob gently deposited Edward on an unoccupied low cot in the hallway near two doctors who were deep in conversation. Jacob straightened and cleared his throat to gain their attention. They stopped and turned. One of them gawked at the towering man. Carlisle immediately focused on his son lying on the bed.

"Edward? What happened?" Carlisle rushed over to him followed by the younger doctor.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder." Edward said through gritted teeth. The pain was tremendous and he was nauseated by the journey from the theatre. For some reason, Jacob had sprinted past his carriage and had run on foot to the medical center with amazing speed. Edward had felt like he was on a channel steamer in a storm. The trip had hurt like hell, leaving Edward to wonder if his shoulder might be jostled back into position before he received medical attention.

The other doctor immediately responded. "I'll take care of it." He was stocky and almost as tall as Jacob. He was friendly enough but was also bouncing like a sugar laden child.

"No. Thank you, Dr. McCarty. I'd like to treat my son." Carlisle knew that Emmett's heart was in the right place but in his zeal to heal he tended to cause additional damage. Even so, Emmett was well liked by the hospital staff. His enthusiasm was appreciated and he actually had a fine mind despite his thick stature. Carlisle just needed to help Emmett realize his own strength when it came to treating his patients.

Carlisle slid his hand behind Edward's deformed shoulder and pulled it towards him with a strong swift movement. There was a muffled pop and Edward was immediately relieved of his pain. Emmitt was disappointed, Jacob was smiling and Carlisle was confused.

"What happened?" Dr. Cullen asked once again. His son had left home to meet the beautiful opera singer. What could have possibly taken place?

Edward and Jacob began talking at the same time. Edward could hear that Jacob was concocting a story and attempted to raise his voice so that his truthful account could be heard. Jacob likewise raised his own voice to compete with Edward's tale. Carlisle put a stop to them both.

"Hold it. Hold it. Edward. Please tell me the story."

Edward gave Jacob a searching glance and began speaking. Taking Jacob's cue, along with some guilt, he revised his version of the story. He was vague and mentioned how lucky he was that _Jacob _had caught him. When he was done, Edward looked for and received a grateful look from his dark new friend. Jacob's gratitude would be short lived, however, as Edward would later demand answers in return for deceiving his father.

Emmett interrupted his thoughts. "So you're Dr. Cullen's son? Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. McCarty." He pumped Edward's hand enthusiastically earning a cringe from Carlisle and a sharp intake of breath from Edward. "I'm going to be a surgeon and your father here is teaching me everything I need to know." Emmett slapped Carlisle on the shoulder so hard that his stethoscope bounced up from his chest. "Isn't that right boss?" Carlisle nodded, feeling relieved that Emmett had not knocked _his_ shoulder out of joint.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. McCarty." Edward looked at Carlisle's calm face and marveled, not for the first time, at his father's unlimited patience.

He then returned his attention to Jacob. "Where's Bella?"

"She couldn't be here Edward. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Edward was frustrated, he needed answers. "Isn't she coming at all?" Edward could not believe his ears.

_Bella is not coming to see me?_ He thought of her floating above the stage and holding onto him with only one arm. She was hiding something extraordinary, he knew it, and yet she was not willing to share it with him. Why?

Jacob chose his words carefully. He felt horrible and still sincerely blamed himself for the accident despite Bella's instructions to move the heavy instrument into that position. He didn't know how much Edward saw or suspected but this was not the time or place to interrogate each other. He needed to communicate this to Edward somehow.

"It's not that she doesn't want to be here. She will explain things when you get home."

"When I get home!?" Edward was appalled. "That could be awhile."

Emmett laughed. "No it won't. You're done. You can go home now." Emmett grabbed Edward's arm to assist him up from the cot and pulled on his shoulder in the process. His bad shoulder. Edward once again screamed in pain.

Jasper heard the screams and this time a wicked grin splashed across his face. _That kid keeps us in business. _While Edward was being treated for his secondary injury, Jasper seized the moment to sidle over to Jacob.

"I see you found your way?" He said, giving a little wave to Carlisle. Dr. Cullen responded by cocking his head slightly in Emmett's direction.

"We did. Thank you, Dr…?"

Jasper offered his hand. "I'm Dr. Whitlock."

"Jacob Black." His hand swallowed Jasper's. "Do you know Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes. We play cards together." Jasper held up mock cards and moved his eyes around in a shifty way. He loved to play bluff because it provided an education in how people thought. As he could be around humans without difficulty, Jasper had taken advantage of it and involved himself in many human social activities. Concerning bluff, (or _poque) _Jasper's interest was not in winning the game. His vision allowed him to see right through the cards in opposing players hands. There was no mystery for him. Instead, he spent the night breaking even while watching his colleagues' attempts at mind reading.

Jasper found Carlisle to be a genius and respected him greatly. He thought Emmett was great for a laugh and found he was excellent at strategy. Time after time he had seen Emmett throw away winning hands in an attempt to bolster the confidence of his card mates. Once someone else had begun to build momentum they inevitably took bigger risks. Emmett would then switch gears and, usually, won the night. The other players thought he was lucky but Jasper learned that he was dangerously clever. Jasper was wary of anyone who was both highly observant and clever.

"That sounds like fun." Jacob had never played but somehow knew to keep that information to himself.

"I'll ask Carlisle to invite you next time we play." Jasper offered.

There was definitely something different about this man. He didn't move like a human. It was imperceptible but Jasper picked up on several tells. Jacob Black was someone to watch closely.

Jacob, who was already interested in interacting with Rosalie's father to gain his friendship and approval, saw this invitation as a fortunate turn of events. It was exactly what he needed to feel better about putting Edward in harm's way.

"I would really like that. Thank you." Jacob's smile was modest but genuine.

"You are welcome, Mr. Black."

"Please. Call me Jacob."

"And I am Jasper." He bowed slightly and then added. "I think you and I were well met Jacob."

An hour later, Edward was discharged from the hospital wearing a sling. He departed with Dr. McCarty's apologies and Dr. Cullen's orders for a week of rest for his severely bruised muscle. Jacob took Edward home in a hired carriage and stayed briefly to visit with Rosalie. Before he left he gave Edward a meaningful look and promised to return tomorrow.

Rosalie called after Jacob as he left the house. "Why are you coming back to see _Edward?"_

* * *

The next morning Edward woke to Esme bringing him breakfast in bed despite his specific request not to do so. His shoulder burned so he ate his meal with one hand and then, after practically tossing his mother out of the room, spent twenty minutes getting dressed. He walloped himself in the face a few times while attempting to fasten his suspenders. He finally gave up, resigned to suffer saggy trousers.

He went downstairs and reiterated his wishes that he eat with the family in the future while greeting his father, who was up early again, and sister with a reassuring smile that told them he was fine despite the sad looking arm trapped against his chest.

"I still don't know how you fell through the stage." Rosalie mused.

"Yes." Carlisle peeked over his paper. "I am unclear on the details as well." He said this knowing full well that his son had a secret. He could also tell that Edward was not ready to reveal it and Carlisle trusted his son to explain the whole incident when he felt the time was right.

After Edward had left the hospital, Carlisle had spoken to Drs. McCarty and Whitlock about inviting his son to their sessions of bluff. He needed to work on developing his game.

In turn Jasper suggested that they invite Jacob to the game as well. Carlisle now took the opportunity to feel Edward out on the subject.

"Some of the other doctors and I are playing _poque_ sometime next week. Would you like to join us?"

Edward was familiar with the game, having played it at school. He was delighted and was anxious to display his skills but didn't want to act too eager. "Is it draw?"

"Sometimes it's draw. Sometimes stud."

Jacob arrived just then at the back door carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. Rosalie squealed with glee, plucked the arrangement from Jacob's arms and read the envelope attached to the ribbon.

_For Edward._

Rosalie blinked and read the card again.

For Edward?

Without a word handed her brother his card and flowers, scowled at Jacob and walked out of the kitchen. Jacob realized his mistake a moment too late.

Edward introduced Jacob to his mother who hugged him tightly and insisted he eat breakfast as a thank you for rescuing her son. She took the flowers from Edward and placed them into a vase. Esme gushed over their guest and asked all about Bella. She barely let him finish one answer before asking another question. Esme delighted in Jacob's animation in storytelling and attention to detail.

Carlisle was quiet and considering the exchange he had just witnessed between Jacob and Rosalie. He had a sinking feeling as he realized that this young man, the bright and intelligent person who so impressed him the day before, was the chariot rocker. Fighting against his most basic paternal instincts, he reminded himself that his daughter was a grown woman now. As far as he could tell, Jacob had been one of her better choices and he had quite possibly saved Edward's life. That should count for something.

Carlisle was a practical man and a wise father.

Edward was transfixed by the envelope in his hand. He was dying to read that letter, but maintained composure until his coffee was drained.

"If you will excuse me." He said, rising from the table. "I'm going to take this into the parlor."

Once Edward had left the kitchen, Jacob turned to Esme. "If I may tread on your hospitality a while longer, I believe that Edward may wish to reply to Miss Swan."

"That's quite alright." She said as she scooted closer to him at the table. "You can tell me more about Bella."

"Certainly." Jacob said. "What else would you like to know?"

Esme put her elbows right on the table and plopped her chin in her cupped hands. "Everything."

Jacob chuckled.

Edward entered the parlor and sat down on the luxurious blue davenport in a big splash of sunlight and read Bella's note.

**My Dearest Edward,**

**I will spend the rest of my life**

**apologizing to you if that's what**

**it will take for you to forgive me.**

**I am sorry I hurt you and I am**

**sorry that I couldn't come to the**

**hospital. Please send a response**

**with Jacob as I am desperate to**

**hear from you.**

**Your song was the most beautiful **

**thing my little theatre has ever heard**

**and I thank you deeply for it. **

**Tenderly,**

**Bella**

Edward smiled. He did not blame Bella for the accident and, frankly, owed her his spine at least. He was glad to forgive her for her inadvertent injury and even her absence from the hospital but he wanted answers. He crafted a letter filled with the questions that had been running through his mind. Thankful that the right arm in a sling was not his writing hand, he replied:

**My Exquisite Bella,**

**Ease your mind, I forgive you all.**

**I do have some questions as you may**

**have anticipated. **

**How can you fly?**

**How did you lift me?**

**Why did you not visit me at the hospital?**

**Why won't you come now?**

**Affectionately,**

**Edward.**

Jacob departed the Cullen home shortly after Edward had handed him his reply. Edward spent the rest of the day trying to prepare his heart and mind for the answers to come. It seemed to last forever.

The next morning was a Tuesday and Jacob reappeared with _two_ sets of beautifully arranged flowers.

As he was unable to knock he just stood on the front porch until he was noticed. It did not take long before Esme fluttered to the door and lead him to the kitchen where the family was enjoying pancakes.

"Please sit down and join us." Esme offered.

Jacob set the flowers down, one in front of each younger Cullen. He had already been forewarned that he would be visiting the Cullen residence every morning until Carlisle deemed Edward fully healed. After admitting his mistake to Alice, she became more than happy to duplicate the flower arrangements.

Alice and Jacob had always gotten along well. They both enjoyed teasing Bella and had similar hopes for her romantic future. Alice also shared Jacob's love of combat fighting and over the last five years had become a lethal martial artist. Some of the kicks she had delivered to Jacob contained enough power to bring instant death to a mortal.

Rosalie looked at her bouquet…and then at Edwards. Then she looked at her bouquet again….and then back at Edwards. She returned to her breakfast leaving her note unread.

Jacob only smiled. She was difficult but he did not mind difficult. He was used to difficult and he knew just what to do next.

Edward grabbed his note, excused himself from the table, returned to his warm and familiar seat in the parlor and immediately began reading.

At best, Bella's note was vague. This was due largely to Alice's influence.

**My Precious Edward, **

**Thank you.**

**Your forgiveness means **

**the world to me. **

**I didn't know I could fly, honestly.**

**It just happened when I saw you fall.**

**I promise you that this whole thing**

**has taken me by surprise.**

**I was just holding your arm. **

**I am certain that you were putting **

**a lot of your own weight on the stage.**

**I'm not very strong as anyone can see.**

**I cannot come because I am sick.**

**I'm so scared and I need you**

**to help me understand what is **

**happening to me.**

**Devotedly,**

**Bella**

Edward furrowed his brow. He was beyond disappointed. He was angry. _What does she think she's doing? _He thought to himself. _How stupid does she think I am? _

His response accurately reflected his emotions. It was curt and full of hurt.

**Bella,**

**You did not answer ONE of my questions.**

**I will pose them once again.**

**How can you fly?**

**How did you lift me?**

**Why did you not visit me at the hospital? **

**And why will you not come now?**

**I saw you react even before I fell.**

**That means you already had powers.**

**Try again.**

**Edward**

Another day of waiting meant another day of agony for the young man.

On Wednesday, Jacob arrived with a colossal arrangement for Rosalie and a single white bud in a tiny but elegant silver vase for Edward. He put the flowers down on the kitchen table in front of each recipient and sat down at the place Esme had already prepared for him. While Rosalie read her card, Jacob blushed. She held his hand under the table while Edward excused himself and took his card into the parlor to sit in the sun.

Jacob watched him go, knowing that Alice's opinion had not been sought for this letter.

**My Brilliant Edward,**

**I should not have attempted to deceive you.**

**I should have known that you were too clever.**

**Here are the truthful answers to your questions but**

**be warned. They will only raise more questions.**

**I can fly because I have developed special abilities**

**after becoming a vampire in the mid 1500's.**

**I am also very strong which explains why I lifted you so easily.**

**A vampire preys on human blood, Edward.**

**In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that you **

**were meant to be another victim the night we met.**

**Instead, I fell in love with you.**

**I could never hurt you now. You must believe this.**

**I hope you will come to the theatre this Saturday **

**night as my guest.**

**We need to talk in person but sunlight will kill **

**me. I have to stay inside during the day. **

**I would have invited you over to the theatre but Jacob**

**explained to me that you need rest and we **

**have been repairing the stage.**

**I have hopes that the piano will soon be ready for you to play again. **

**Although, if you do not like that piano anymore, I understand.**

**With All My Love, **

**Bella**

Edward examined the skinny bruises on his wrist left by tiny iron fingers. He considered what she had written and scratched his quick response, infuriated.

This was to be it then. Bella had chosen to make up ridiculous tales rather than trust him with the logical explanation. The letter was a fabrication and this included her declaration of love. He was hurt by this more than anything.

Knowing this was likely the last letter he would issue to her, Edward wrote slowly and deliberately fearing that rushing through it would only open him up further to heartache.

**Bella,**

**Why bother sending your lap dog**

**every morning if you are just going**

**to lie to me?**

**Do not bother sending a reply.**

His name was barely a scribble. It was more of an angry jab at the paper.

Edward left the parlor and went to locate Jacob to deliver his response.

When he did not find him in the kitchen as usual, he climbed the stairs to his sister's room. Edward was fuming. Esme and Carlisle were still in the house yet Rosalie's door was closed.

_Scandalous! They might as well be out in his big black carriage. _

Having temporarily lost his ability to follow his better judgment, Edward listened at the door hoping now that they were indeed outside…_rocking back and forth until it shakes free of the wheel chuck and they go rolling down to the park where everybody can see their big finish._

He heard nothing and knocked on the door. _Won't our mother be proud?_

"Come in, Edward." Jacob's voice invited. The sound of his voice emerging from Rosalie's room made Edward feel queasy.

Edward opened the door, eyebrows practically scraping the door frame, and found Jacob alone standing on the small balcony that looked over the garden from his sister's bedroom. He waved at someone down below and then turned to face Edward. Jacob walked into the room closing the balcony doors behind him.

"Your sister graciously allowed me the use of her bedroom so you and I could talk privately."

Edward was more confused than ever. "Talk about what?"

"The letter Bella sent you. No doubt you have questions to ask."

"What makes you think that I want to talk to you or anyone about the FICTION in that letter?" Edward's tone was rough.

"You don't believe her." Jacob said, already knowing the answer.

"No. I don't believe her, and I'll thank you to stop bringing flowers by every day to further agitate my allergies. Here is my correspondence and I DO NOT require a response." Edward thrust his letter toward Jacob.

Jacob had not expected a total dismissal by Edward and stared at him in utter and awed disbelief. It was now his turn to be confused. He decided to remind Edward of the facts at hand.

"You saw her fly….You felt her strength…."

Edward's reaction was immediate and uncontrolled. Three days of physical pain and emotional torture broke through the surface. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHE'S A…_vampire."_ He spat the last word out like it was a rotten morsel.

"What explanation were you expecting, Edward?"

"All I expected," Edward said through shaky lips, "was the truth!"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. He would not be able to make Edward realize the truth in his highly agitated state. "May I have the letter back please?"

"Why?" Edward asked.

"May I have it back please?" Jacob was not interested in prolonging the conversation.

"You never asked for any of the other letters back." Edward stood with his free hand on his hip, trying to look imposing. He was not intimidated by Jacob's physical size.

Jacob stepped in close enough to redefine imposing. "That's because none of the other letters would get Bella killed if they were read by the wrong people." He spoke clearly and deliberately, "You can believe what you want, Edward, but Bella risked her life writing that down so I…WANT…IT…BACK…NOW!"

Jacob was intent on his mission and Edward knew it.

"Fine. I'll go and get it."

Jacob blinked and spoke darkly. "You don't have it?" He felt his temper slipping and started breathing in through his nose very slowly.

The tables had quickly turned. Edward now attempted to calm the increasingly upset Jacob by speaking quietly. "No. It's in the parlor."

"YOU FOOL!" Jacob bellowed. He pushed past Edward and flew out the door.

Edward now stood alone in Rosalie's room. What had happened? Could Jacob actually believe her? Why else would he react so strongly to the letter? And then there was the fact that he knew what the letter said even though it was sealed. Did he and Bella discuss this beforehand? Did _she_ tell Jacob to recover the letter? Why should Jacob be so upset?

Edward suddenly heard voices in the garden and reopened the doors to the balcony. Peering down, he saw a much calmer Jacob exchange friendly words with Carlisle. He kissed Esme's hand and then whispered something in Rosalie's ear that made her giggle and smack him playfully. Jacob then walked out through the garden gate and closed it behind him. Before disappearing into the streets of Paris, he offered Edward a final mournful glance.

Edward almost called him back.

He almost ran after him.

He almost went down to the theatre that night.

Edward almost did….._something._

That night he went to bed exhausted and regretting his decision. Despite his emotional turmoil he quickly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. His room was encased in near total darkness when he was woken roughly by two strong and cool hands pressing on either side of his head, pushing him down into the mattress.

Edward looked up into the dark and dangerous eyes of Bella Swan…Vampire.

She appeared much bigger than he remembered. The sound of her slow and angry breath filled his room. The moonlight touched just the tip of her nose and, in order to contain his sudden fright, he focused on the tiny pool of light there. He could not bring himself to maintain eye contact with the fierce creature holding him hostage. Her hair hung down on either side of his face. He felt her already strong hold on his face tighten. She was shaking with rage and she lifted him up ruthlessly, her mouth inches from him and menacing.

"You don't believe me?" Her whispers did nothing to disguise her fury.

Edward inhaled sharply. His eyes widening as he continued to focus on her moonlit nose. In this moment, he found he was unable to answer her.

Bella's breath was coppery as she growled at him and dug her fingers into the sides of his head. "Then I'll prove it!"

**

* * *

**

**NOTES:**

**Our little Bella Voce has had a big week thanks to: **

**(at)Raizie7 who created a forum on Twilighted (AKA The PIT), **

**(at)RoseArcadia for building amazing graphics for the story, **

**and (at)squalloogal who continues to give me great advice and has become a real friend.**

**Thank you all for your reviews and recommendations, I have seen my readership triple this week due to word of mouth and I am very grateful for those of you who took it upon yourself to spread this story like butter.**


	5. Chapter 5: Kiss

**Disclaimer:**

**If necessary, I can prove that I do not own Twilight**

**(But I'd rather not resort to those measures.)**

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Kiss**

Bella and Alice were always safely tucked indoors by dawn. Usually they would be in one or the other's cove before calling it a day, but this Monday was an exception. The theatre was completely windowless except for the lobby and on this morning the two women were nervously pacing up and down amongst the instruments in the pit. Bella had written an apology letter for Jacob to deliver to Edward and Alice had supplemented the letter with a big bouquet of flowers. They were now waiting for Jacob to return with news.

They waited so long that Bella wondered irritably if he had actually gotten breakfast out of the deal. Within days of meeting him, Bella realized that Jacob could, and would, eat anything. His appetite was immense and she had always been silently thankful that they were not forced to share the same diet. That would have been ugly. His time in Paris had only helped to refine his palate and now he often dined at the fine eateries nestled throughout the _Champs-Elysées._ Normally, Bella was happy to see Jacob indulge in his favorite pastime but today she had no patience.

She found her anger growing as the minutes dragged on and so she tried to focus her attention on the pit. Bella could play, with skill, nearly every one of the orchestra's instruments but particularly liked the trumpet. She could finesse a delicate sound from the bright horn that was the envy of her brass section. She was not well practiced on the drums. They had primarily been used only in tribal music and were seldom heard with any orchestration; until she met Laurent.

Laurent was an African man who spent part of his life in China. He had learned much about rhythm there and brought his newfound skills back to Europe. He also experimented with sound and by attaching glass tubes and wires and, God knows what else, he had made an impressive looking and wholly unique sounding percussion instrument. It only played a handful of notes in key so he marked them and used the rest of the now upside down body for storage of his motley assortment of sticks, brushes, shakers and long staffs filled with rice. He had even salvaged some of the piano that fell through the stage.

He was offered the position of Bella's conductor after the first time he played for her and during performances Laurent sat on a large platform in the middle of the pit facing Bella. He was low enough to stay completely hidden from the audience but Bella could see his hands and the rest of the pit could also clearly follow his lead. His platform was big enough to accommodate almost a dozen differently sized drums all with varying animal skins. Bella noted it also included his now upright, legless and backwards baby grand piano sitting between his big Chinese cymbals with big Chinese symbols painted on them. He told Bella once that they meant 'music war' but would not elaborate further.

Bella was a fluid music arranger and assumed the leadership role during rehearsals. She often worked the dynamics of a piece of music until it seemed fragile enough to break. Laurent was her second and they trusted each other as well as any vampire could allow an unknowing human to trust her.

While they waited, Bella showed Alice how to play a few more chords on the guitar. Bella purchased the finest instruments for her players on the condition that they remain in her care. She also paid well to have the best and most free thinking musicians at her disposal. She managed to get them all together twice a week, Saturday nights for performances and Sunday nights for rehearsals.

They had not been practicing long before they heard the front door open and close. Jacob appeared at the top of the theatre and sauntered down the aisle to meet them. When Jacob gave her Edward's response Bella was happy to learn that he was not permanently injured and that he bore her no ill will for the mishap. He did, however, have a lot of questions. This was not unexpected and Bella wanted to answer Edward honestly but both Jacob and Alice were against this. They reminded her of the dangers of exposing herself in these times where both enlightenment and superstition had guided humans to truths they were not always able to accept.

Bella dismissed visiting Edward at night (even vampire ladies did not call on gentlemen) and thereby condemned them to a literary dance. As she prepared to draft her response to Edward, Bella sought Alice's advice. Alice had insisted that she appear frightened and ignorant, she instructed Bella to give vague answers and to appeal to Edward's ego by asking for his assistance in helping her to understand the situation herself. This very deliberate move would allow Edward an opportunity to develop his own theories and would give Bella and Jacob the opportunity to embrace an explanation while keeping the facts of the situation undiscovered.

"We just want to pacify the boy until you can explain things for yourself." Alice explained to Bella. "After his transformation, of course."

While Bella never had reason to question Alice's comprehension of the male mind, she felt the need to ask Jacob's opinion on the matter. He was not much help. Jacob, who also was opposed to allowing Edward to learn the truth, just shrugged his shoulders when she quizzed him.

"I've got enough problems with his sister."

Bella wrote the letter as advised but took no pleasure in deceiving Edward. The moment she watched Jacob leave the theatre with her second letter, her anger returned, more intense than the day before.

Knowing this time Jacob's return would be delayed by breakfast at the Cullen house, Bella enlisted Alice's help in reinforcing the newly repaired stage floor. Jacob had begun working on the stage floor two days earlier after returning from the hospital and had managed to pull the mangled piano from Bella's room and removed all the wooden debris that same evening. Yesterday, Jacob had shown them how to spread mortar and lay bricks and the project produced two sturdy posts in Bella's living quarters. She found the time passing quickly and was pleasantly surprised when Jacob reappeared with Edward's response.

Her happiness was short lived. Alice's advice had failed her.

Edward's second reply demanded clear and honest answers and Bella fumed at herself for not relying more on her instincts. Jacob and Alice once again insisted that Bella conceal the truth from Edward, but this time she refused to appease them. Bella's love for Edward combined with her fear that she was losing his trust only sealed her determination to be nothing less than honest with him.

Jacob knew when his friend had her mind made up and promised to help her as long as a few cautious guidelines were followed. Alice returned to her studio to finish work on costumes for that week's performance. Bella sat on her bed to draft her confession to the man she loved. She told Edward everything and prayed that he would be accepting of her truth.

When Jacob returned to the theatre on Wednesday morning he thrust Edward's note to Bella with his nostrils flaring and his eyes blazing. She lowered her head, her eyes intensely staring at the envelope in her hands. She did not have to read its contents to know that the news was bad. She debated whether she would be able to read it at all.

Alice stepped forward and claimed the letter, her curiosity deciding the matter for Bella.

"Do you know what it says?" She asked Jacob.

"Of course not." He puffed up a bit. "I just know you aren't going to like it." He directed that last statement to Bella who looked up from her empty hands and read Jacob's apology in his moist eyes. They continued to look at one another while Alice read the letter out loud.

"Bella. Why bother sending your…" Alice paused before whispering "lap dog...every morning if you are just going to lie to me?"

Alice read the last line to herself and lowered the note. When Jacob and Bella both looked at her with bland expressions she realized the damage had already been done.

"Do not bother sending a reply." Alice spoke in a tiny voice that was holding back a mouthful of rage. She set the letter down in order to comfort Bella who held still and remained silent. Alice embraced her friend while watching Jacob closely. He was stoic and controlled. After a few moments, Bella began to cry. She spoke to Jacob but her head remained on Alice's shoulder.

"He called you a dog." She creaked out raggedly.

"He called you a liar." Jacob responded soberly.

"HE CALLED YOU A DOG!" Bella yelled this so loud that they could all hear her voice echoing in the auditorium above the newly built stage floor.

Jacob took a step closer to his dearest friend and she lifted her head at his approach. He tenderly wiped Bella's tears away with the big soft pads of his thumbs. "He didn't mean it like that Bella. It's just a figure of speech." He raised her chin so she was looking up into his caring and concerned face. "Please don't worry about me."

Bella transferred herself from Alice and hugged Jacob tightly. "Why doesn't he believe me?" She wept into his chest.

"Because he's a pea brain." Alice blurted out.

"I thought he was falling for me." Bella's muffled sobs were torture to her friends.

Jacob couldn't resist himself. "Well, when you put it that way Bella," he said stroking her hair, "I think he already did."

Both girls laughed politely at Jacob's dreadful joke, but it effectively broke the tension. Bella's crying slowed and they all felt a little better. She remained in Jacob's arms for several minutes using some of the breathing exercises she had learned from him to calm herself and get her emotions back under control.

"Edward is young and inexperienced. Let's just give it a day and see if he sorts it out for himself." Jacob said at last and both girls nodded their heads.

"He's right Bella. Maybe Edward just needs to process everything he read." Alice agreed. Bella removed herself from Jacob's arms and nodded once again.

Jacob removed the letter Edward had carelessly left in the parlor from his riding jacket and moved to position it over the flame of a nearby candle. He sighed as he watched the letter disintegrate. Jacob was thinking about what would happen to Edward if he decided to reject Bella. He knew Bella's secret and Jacob was bound to protect her at all costs. Bella would be unable to see this logically. If the boy had to be dealt with, Jacob decided in that moment to give him over to Alice for disposal. He would also need to conjure a story to tell Bella and the rest of the Cullens to explain his disappearance. It would take some careful planning on his part and he would have to be careful not to act too quickly or rashly.

"I have plans with Rosalie tonight, I'll feel her out." Jacob mumbled.

Both girls responded at the same time but Jacob heard each of them clearly.

Alice retorted. "I bet you will."

Bella was more specific. "The two of you rutting like weasels does not constitute plans."

The three friends laughed quietly and, in that moment, Jacob and Alice exchanged glances.

His eyes asked "_Do you think she's alright?"_

Alice's eyes answered back "_I think she just might be"._

Bella was a tremendous singing talent, but she was also a very fine actress.

A fine actress indeed.

* * *

Fourteen hours later Bella was kneeling on Edward's bed with his very fragile, very human head in her very strong, very vampire hands.

She had rehearsed what she would say to him as she streaked over the _Champs-Elysées _but was not prepared for how angry she would become once she saw him lying there asleep with his back turned to the balcony door.

Bella's reaction was immediate and uncontrolled. Three days of her emotional torture breaking through the surface.

She had him captive in an instant. His eyes opened and she saw his fear immediately. He was too frightened to take in her whole face and she stared at human eyes that avoided looking directly at hers. Edward lay perfectly still in her grasp and his lack of response only deepened her rage. She was forced to pull his head close to hers.

"You don't believe me?" Her whispers did nothing to disguise her fury.

Edward inhaled sharply. His eyes widening as he continued to focus on her moonlit nose. In this moment, he found he was unable to answer her.

Bella's arms were shaking as she husked warm breath into his face and said, "Then I'll prove it!"

Edward's respirations quickened but still he did not speak. Bella was losing control with each passing moment. If he did not say something soon the decision would be made without the benefit of his input.

Finally, Edward's gaze left her nose and shifted upwards into Bella's planted stare. When he opened his mouth to speak, he said as sincerely as his shaking voice would allow.

"I'm sorry."

His words came out strained and pained. "I never should have let Jacob leave with that note."

He swallowed and she loosened her grip on his head just enough to allow them both to think more clearly. "I never should have doubted you Bella. I never should have done anything but love you."

Edward's words were simple and he wished in this moment was capable of articulating more to her. He was aware these could be his last words and he wanted his message understood. He wanted Bella to know his regrets.

Edward felt Bella's grip tighten once more but this time there was no menace in her touch.

His words to her were magical and, instead of releasing him, Bella pulled Edward closer and pressed her lips firmly to his. The transition from fury to passion was mercifully fast and Bella felt a wave of relief wash over her as she drank in Edward's breath instead of his blood. He marveled at how perfectly their mouths connected and sensed her desire for more of him. Edward was unsure if her kiss would result in something more sinister but, in the heat of the moment, he didn't care. He was willing to give Bella whatever she wanted, whatever she needed from him. Edward placed his free hand on Bella's neck securing their connection further and then he let his tongue explore her parted lips. She reciprocated and their jaws relaxed, mouths opening as their kiss deepened.

Bella and Edward surrendered to one another in that first kiss and the rest of the world fell to the eaves.

Bella lowered him back to the bed, mindful of his injured arm and never taking her mouth from his. Her lips were soft and needy and he worked to keep up with the building intensity of her moving and writhing body. Edward was very aware of the feel and weight of her body on top of his and was even more aware that his thin night clothes were not going to provide him the modesty he would soon require if this kiss continued. The thought of ending this moment, however, was just too painful to consider and as his body began to respond to Bella's investigations, Edward quickly accepted that he could be wearing a suit of armor and it would not hide what she was doing to him.

Bella had succumbed to the temptation of physical love with this beautiful man and she was grateful she had fed before she brought her mouth to his body. His lips were strong and insistent yet gentle. He tasted unlike anything she had ever known. Their kiss continued for an indulgent period of time, neither wanting to break away but once her lips began to feel swollen Bella reluctantly withdrew to examine Edward. She moved back and looked down at him. He was panting and wide eyed as he stared back at her. It reminded her of the night they met. It was not lost on Bella that both evenings had begun with her considering a possible death sentence for Edward. And now he knew it.

"You're not scared?" She was in awe.

"You wrote that you would never cause me harm, Bella." His smiled and his eyes picked up the moonlight streaking in through the balcony doors left open by her entrance. "And I will believe everything you say from this day forward."

"Thank you." Her eyes also picked up the moonlight as they rolled first one way and then the other. "I'll remember you said that."

As she felt all the tension retreat from the air, this remark caught her as funny and she laughed. He joined her and soon they were kissing again. To Bella it felt like melting with someone, to Edward it felt like every part of his being was reaching for her. They both kept their eyes shut out of virgin modesty and the sound of the warm yet breezy night gave Bella an idea…

"Do you want me to show you something?"

Edward's eyes, already wide began blinking as his mouth fell open. He nodded his head vigorously.

"That's not what I meant, Edward." As much as Bella felt she should be outraged by his assumption, she only found herself deeply flattered at his excitement. Before they could move further physically she would need to be more prepared and they would need more privacy. His bedroom in his parents' home would not suffice.

"Oh." Edward decided he was a tad relieved. He already felt like he was getting light headed from all the kissing.

"Are you cold?" Bella could feel the heat coming off him and it rivaled the gusts tugging at the hem of her simple pale green cotton dress.

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "No."

"Then hold on tight." In her excitement, Bella could not wait for him to hold on or do anything else. She threw herself onto him kissing him fiercely. She wrapped him, sheets and all, into her arms and flew them both from the room.

Edward was reveling in the brand new world of Bella's touch and although he noticed the night sky rushing past him, he continued to pour kisses onto her. Bella quickly flew them higher to avoid casual observance and Edward sighed as the wind massaged his scalp. He loved the feeling of his hair cooling as it fluttered up and down. In that moment he was traveling faster, and flying higher than any other human ever had but he was lost in her mouth and wrapped in her hair. He would not have noticed if the world cracked in half.

Bella, who had been in the air almost nonstop since her discovery, was elated to demonstrate physically to Edward how her heart was soaring. He had been remorseful for his actions that day and in the grasp of her dangerous hands he had been brave and noble. Edward was a very fine man. She felt herself slip a little further down the well of love and relished in the comfort it gave her. _To have someone finally after all these years?_ She dared not believe it, yet she could focus on little else since she met him a mere four days ago.

Bella now felt grateful for the extra time she had spent with Jacob to reinforce the meditation and control that she had been studying since his arrival in Paris. In the beginning, even though she had invited him to help her, Bella had hated to admit her failure controlling her own impulses. Jacob understood this and knowing her stubborn nature, waited almost two years until she made her first breakthrough. When the moment came, it had been a quiet one. Bella had simply awoken one evening and asked herself a question.

_Why is it so important that I do it all on my own? _

Unable to answer this, she had gone to Jacob and fully committed to his teachings and now her training had saved her dear Edward's life twice. She would be eternally grateful to Jacob for this and for so much more. Jacob was more than a dear friend, he was her brother. He protected her, advised her, provided for her, teased her and loved her. He was a supernatural being who demonstrated his care in the most humane ways.

Thinking over the events of the past few days, Bella realized she would never be able to repay Jacob for all he had done for her.

All that week the auditorium had become her gymnasium and Bella had gained profound control of her flight. Alice clapped with glee as her friend zoomed around in the huge open space. Jacob kept them on task with repairing the stage when he wasn't at the Cullen house. Bella needed the floor completed within the week and that included the paint job it would require before the next show. Every time she had the chance to retrieve something for her multitalented handyman she stuck out her little chin and off she went only to return seconds later with the requested item. It really was all in the chin.

Right now her chin was pointed toward the newly built Eiffel Tower.

Bella, Alice and Jacob had attended the grand opening in June of 1889. Jacob had been especially enamored with the various wind and weather experiments involved. He even met Thomas Edison, the American inventor, that night. Edison was intrigued by Jacob's insightful questions and gave him a tour of the top level including the first mercury barometer and _Fauchault's _giant pendulum. The two men strolled around together for about an hour and, before they parted company, exchanged correspondence information. Jacob had riveted him with a theory he had on a steel alkaline storage battery for electric power.

Jacob had been back to the tower dozens of times since its inaugural celebration and labored on the subject for days on end. Bella, who had become fascinated by Jacob's new obsession, ended up as a student of science and engineering herself. She enjoyed long discussions with him on the topic as she accompanied him on evening strolls over the _Champ de Mars _(Field of Mars) and to the base of the tower where one could read several dozen names etched under the first balcony. There were seventy two in all; representing French scientists and engineers of the time and Bella always pointed that _Sophie Germain_ was left off the list even though _her_ elasticity theories were instrumental in the Tower's very creation!

As always, this omission made her mad just thinking about it. Distracted by her racing mind and emotions, Bella began kissing Edward too hard.

"Ow." He was reluctant to break the kiss but could no longer look past the discomfort. His eyes were bright and his smile reassured Bella that he understood her mistake.

"Sorry," Bella said then tried again. Locked in a fervid kiss she allowed Edward to explore her mouth which he did with a curious efficiency while she corkscrewed the two of them down to the now deserted platform on top of the steel spire.

Edward let his bed sheets spill down his bare legs as he looked out over the Seine River. His night shirt stopped high on his thighs and fluttered in provocative ways. Bella scooted in behind him and pressed her stomach to the curve of his bottom wrapping him in her arms. She was cool but the night was balmy. Edward had never been to the tower and was amazed by how far he could see out over the countryside.

"I have fallen in love with you, Edward." Bella breathed, feeling brave and elated from the flight. "I think I fully realized it just now as we…were kissing." She felt shy again.

"I've been in love with you for just under a week now." Edward spoke his honest realization aloud and turned to face her. "When you came into my bedroom tonight all I could think of was how I couldn't die without telling you."

"Even if _I_ was the one killing you?" Bella asked seriously.

"Especially if you were the one killing me." The sound of his gentle laugh rolled off the top of the tower and mingled with the dew in the air but his eyes were watchful and his back was straight.

Bella stepped closer to him and put one small hand on his smooth cheek. The wind racing through the steel ribs of the tower created tones that found their way to the couple above. It was music to their ears and so they danced.

They were on the highest manmade structure in the world, dancing on a space big enough for a hundred couples and as Edward and Bella twirled in each others arms they fell even deeper in love.

When they broke apart Bella took off her shoes and walked over to the blankets, she straightened them out and put one shoe on each of corners facing the breeze then she sat down on the soft bedspread. Her hair was pushed back from her face and the way she was squinting into the wind made her look very young to Edward.

"How old are you Bella?" He was more curious about other things but thought it best to start simply. He sat down and laced his fingers with hers, desperate for her touch but in need of conversation.

"Approaching 400 years." She stated plainly while she squirmed in under his arm and almost into his lap. He gladly wrapped his uninjured arm around her, keeping her close.

"I'm amazed." His amazement quickly changed into something else. "No, wait. I'm confused."

"What is it?" Bella was playing with the ribbons Alice had sewn into her dress.

"How old were you when…" He trailed off not sure how to phrase it.

Bella put him out of his misery. "I was nineteen when I became one."

"One what?" Edward was intrigued at her omission. She seemed so confident onstage but clearly she was at odds with her…condition?...identity?

"You know." Bella said and then the silence stretched out between them. They smiled at each other as they listened to the breeze contribute new notes and pitches to the ever changing wind song.

"Say it." Edward probed. "Out loud."

"Vampire." She responded quickly.

"Vampire." Edward rolled the word around in his mouth and let the reality sink in, the whole supernatural bloody reality of having just been flown to the top of the Eiffel tower by a vampire he had been kissing the whole way up. He was not scared of her, this much he knew, but Bella's next words seemed to counter his very thoughts.

"We're dangerous, Edward." Bella confessed. "I'm dangerous."

"I know." Edward stated matter-of-factly. "You don't need to _prove it_." He smiled brilliantly hoping to break the tension a little bit.

It worked, Bella laughed. She was beyond relieved that he seemed to be comfortable with her and the idea of what she was. His joke exposed a degree of primal fear but also revealed his willingness to move beyond it.

As the night progressed they began sharing their life stories. Edward told his first since his did not take long. He mostly relayed his experiences at the Opera Garnier. Bella remembered it well as it had been less than a decade since she had studied there. His life seemed so short to her, so precious in its limitations. Her story took several hours, not only because it was long but also because they would spontaneously lunge for each other, kissing until they were breathless and shy again.

Bella told Edward about Michael and how she spent her first half century continuing to live as a nun feeling protected by the safe walls the church provided. Over time as the systematic dismantling of the church had taken place she had ended up living like an animal. Bella recalled how she had wandered through France and down to Spain's coast where she met and fought with Jacob. She retold the story of how she met him, leaving out some of the details, and how they helped each other settle down in the beginning. When he went to start a life with Leah, Bella systematically explored the entire Spanish coastline from 1685 to 1790. She found and slept in the countless shipwrecks that peppered the ocean floor. They were far below the sunlight's influence and provided her with a peaceful and protected lair.

Edward was fascinated by this. "How could you sleep underwater?"

"I don't need to breath." She answered.

"Yes, but wouldn't you start breathing involuntarily after you fell asleep?" Edward fidgeted on the blanket and turned to face her directly.

"Maybe if I hadn't already spent so many days buried in dirt." She replied with a shrug. "The ocean was a dream by comparison."

"What was it like down there?" Edward's head was swimming with the picture of Bella underwater and curled up in the belly of a sunken schooner.

"It was peaceful and as quiet as the glen." She was suddenly very homesick for a few favorite vessels with large captain's quarters and sails that she used as hammocks while she marveled at the countless colorful fish parading by her. "I will never forget being rocked to sleep by the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes I spent weeks down there exploring whole battlefields of broken ships."

"Did you find treasure?" Now his eyes gleamed.

"Oh yes." Bella said, her smile growing from big to gigantic. "I found a lot of treasure. It paid for my theatre and for anything else I should want for the rest of my life."

Edward was overjoyed at the news of her successful findings and sprang to his knees with another question on his lips.

"Why, Edward Cullen, don't tell me that I have found the thing that will tempt you into an immortal life with me?" Bella giggled. She wasn't foolish enough to believe he would agree to a transformation so soon but it did not stop her from hoping he would be open to the idea.

Edward sat back down on his calves, his expression serious. "I'm not ready," was his quiet declaration. Bella nodded slightly, acknowledging his wishes, and he quickly changed the subject, still astonished by her tale.

_This is incredible_. S_he slept in pirate ships_. "Did you see sharks?"

"I saw many sharks, yes." She allowed herself a reminiscing smile. "They were scared of me."

Edward was impressed. Bella was such a strong woman underneath that delicate feminine exterior. "I don't know what to say." He revealed honestly. Bella remained quiet and soon Edward was intrigued by a new question, his thoughts still trying to fully picture her underwater experiences.

"Where did you keep your clothes?

"I wasn't wearing any clothes." She said slyly. "They…interfered."

Edward's thoughts lingered on the image of a gorgeous, unclothed Bella swimming gracefully underneath the ocean's surface. "This story just keeps getting better all the time." His near silent whisper traveled perfectly through her ears.

"Do you want to know anything else about me?" She asked never fully realizing how interesting her life was to him.

Sensing the time had arrived for more important questions, Edward proceeded, leaving his fantasies of shipwrecks, treasure and a provocative image or two of Bella behind him.

"Well." He mused. He wanted to phrase the question delicately but realized there really was no other way to ask. "How often do you kill?"

Bella squirmed and Edward attempted to give her a reassuring look. He wanted her to know she could trust him. Finally she responded. "I feed once a day." _Sometimes twice, _she thought but felt no need to embellish her answer.

"That's a lot." Edward whispered heavily. "Who are they?"

"They're victims Edward." Bella said coldly. "I can't afford to think of them as anything else so neither can you."

Edward reacted like he was slapped in the face. "That's easy to say when you weren't almost one of those victims."

"I'm truly sorry about that, Edward." He saw that her face carried the weight of thousands of deaths. "You must believe me."

"I do, but I can't believe how easily you just pick people from your audience to feed off of." He was a man of principle. "I mean these people purchased tickets for God's sake. The least they should count on, is not being bled by the star of the show." His emotions were getting the better of him as the full depth of his near fate settled on him.

"What would you have me do, Edward? It's the only way." Bella crossed her arms.

"No." Edward stated. "It's the easiest way." He held her gaze.

Bella was not used to being questioned or scolded and looking at Edward, her face darkened. "You don't understand." She said sternly.

"Help me understand." He offered, "What am I missing?" He waited for her to respond but she did not. "I would only kill criminals." Edward informed her proudly.

"Good for you, Edward, but it's not that simple when it's them or you."

"I think there should be rules."

Bella saw her opportunity to revisit an earlier and important subject. "Does this mean that you will let me make you one someday?"

"Can you still not say it?" Edward questioned, puzzled.

In an instant Bella was upon him. She gently pushed him onto his back and held his free wrist above his head. She looked down at him, her breasts hanging loosely in her flattering gown and teasing Edward.

"Vampire."

She fell on top of him pressing her lips once more to his. Bella wanted nothing more than to crush her chest against his but remained mindful of his injured shoulder. How thrilling it would be once she could hold herself tightly against him while both of his hands freely explored her body. As if sensing her truest desires, Edward reached up and placed his hand on the back of her neck. He then slowly ran his fingers along her scalp until his hand was cradling her head. He kissed back with matched ferocity and before long their arms and legs were tangled around one another as they moved around the blankets. As they were kissing and caressing the wind sang a serenade. When they broke away they lay on their sides. Edward crossed his legs to keep his nightshirt from flapping up and coiled one of Bella's dark brown curls around his finger.

"Do you miss the sun?"

"I used to, but not anymore."

He thought long about this. "I know I would."

"Does that mean you will consider it?"

"I will." He breathed as if it was a great secret he unburdened from himself. "But…"

"What is it, Edward?" Bella did not want to seem too excited. She hoped to make this easy for him.

If not for Bella's exceptional hearing, Edward's answer would have been lost in the breeze. "I don't want to die a virgin."

The truth was that he didn't want to give up many of life's rich pleasures. He needed time to learn and understand the world of the vampire. Edward did not want to make an impulsive decision over something so irreversible. He needed to know what to fully expect if he opted to live as an immortal but he was not ready to say this to Bella.

Bella rolled onto her back, laughing. "Oh, Edward. You're so cute."

Edward didn't feel cute. He felt teased. "It's not funny Bella. I'm eighteen years old and if I decide to go down that road with you I need to tie up some loose ends."

"I don't think I'd like being tied up Edward." She giggled still unaware of his inner conflict.

Edward got up to show her he was serious and Bella let him.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked with a smile.

"Down." Edward said his feelings hurt.

"Not without me." Bella smiled winningly.

"Fine then." He crossed his arms. "Let's go." He realized he was being too sensitive, but once he got all puffed up he didn't know how to…deflate.

Bella stood up and walked over to the wounded boy. She was not offended by his sudden change of mood for she too understood the delicate nature of the subject at hand.

"I wasn't making fun of you Edward. I'm a virgin too and I just thought it was funny how alike we are."

Edward's features softened immediately. "Y_ou're_ a virgin?"

"Yes, of course I am. Don't you remember how I told you I was a nun when I was human?"

"Right." He sounded crestfallen, "I can't make love with a nun." The words were out before he could think about them.

She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. "I haven't been a nun for over 300 years and, even if I was, I'd gladly take a seat in hell just at the chance to have you." Her voice was sensuous.

She was slightly surprised by her bold admission. Edward was positively aghast.

He was also excited and pulled her in to a hurried and heated embrace. His lips found her eye lids as he held her and he showered them with kisses. Edward was also stalling.

At the thought that it could actually happen, he began stammering. "I…that is…You know I haven't decided yet…so…if that means we can't…"

"Your transformation would not come with such conditions, Edward. Besides I know you aren't ready. That can wait." Bella kissed him softly on the cheek and then moved her lips over to his ears. "But I can't."

She turned and lay back down on the blanket, beckoning him to join her.

_Where is that suit of armor when I need it? _Edward thought. "Bella, I thought you just said…and I agree…to a point but maybe we should…"

"I didn't mean right now you scoundrel." She laughed. "This is only our first date."

Edward thought briefly about Rosalie and Jacob's first date…first meeting really. Once again he wondered where some people found their confidence in such matters.

"Of course." He was unsure what to say next. "So…Can I see you again soon?"

Bella rewarded his request with a hearty laugh and said yes. Edward settled back down beside her on the bedspread. "I know you have to finish repairing the theatre and have a performance coming up as well. Maybe I could see you after the show on Saturday?"

"I'll have Jacob take care of the arrangements." Bella replied.

"What is your relationship with Jacob exactly?" Edward asked, suspecting already that it was never romantic but wondering what his sister was in for. Jacob and Bella had been friends for more than a lifetime and he needed information. "Is he also a vampire?"

"No, he's not but he is a very valuable and precious friend to me. He has saved my life more than once and, if it weren't for him, you would have been killed before we landed here tonight."

Edward opened his mouth, but closed it again. Bella was fond of reminding him of how dangerous she was.

"It's very hard for me not to give in to the desire to taste you, Edward, but Jacob has taught me control."

"Can you smell my blood then?" He was suddenly aware of the sound of his own heart beating in his head despite the continued swells of wind song all around them.

"Yes, and when we kiss I sometimes want to bite down on your tongue and just get it over with." Despite the ominous words she spoke, Edward was glad to hear Bella speak with complete honesty.

"I'm glad you haven't. That sounds painful." Edward had a way of lowering his head just as his cheeks got puffy with a grin that always made Bella squirm with desire.

"I want to spend forever with you, Edward, and I've only seen you three times in my very very long life." Bella grieved her lonely existence at that moment and embraced the man who would, with any luck, be her partner in life, and maybe even death, when he was ready.

"I love you too, Bella." Edward's voice was gruff with emotion as he held her in return.

Lost in the life altering moment, Edward released Bella, stood up and opened his arms wide to the night sky. "I am head over heels catch my breath madly in love with you!" He yelled the last part so loud that his voice bounced back to them three different times. Edward was not the type to show public affection, but as they were all alone, the declaration only appeared brave.

Bella took his hand when he offered it and he pulled her to her feet. When they came face to face she could see that his cheeks were flush and his breath was short. It wouldn't do to get either of them any more excited tonight.

"Why don't you gather your blankets and I'll take you home?" She said against her will.

Edward's smile was too big to hide as he bent over and bundled up his linens. When he stood, ready to go, she swooped in and plucked him from the platform like he was a butterfly.

Once again the wind pressed Edward's breath back into his lungs and stole his words when he attempted to speak. He liked that she flew fast and that she dove and rose with her whims. He never considered himself a thrill seeker but Bella brought something out in him. The Paris skyline was dominated by the _Arc de Triomphe_ as they flew north and back to Edward's house. Bella flew him through the arch so fast that his eyes were watering as they passed.

Like before, she held him in a lover's embrace but always with a tight hold of his blankets. He was holding on tight as it was and she almost had to pry his hands from her neck after she flew him back through his open balcony door and set him down next to his bed.

When he let go he stumbled on his sheets and fell backwards onto the soft mattress. Bella giggled and stepped out of the entanglement gracefully. She regarded the man reclining on the bed before her. He was stunning, he was untouched, he was invested in her and he was aroused…again.

When she had arrived earlier, she had been angry and hurt and unsure of his love. Now there was no doubt about what they meant to one another.

As she bid him goodnight she began looking forward to the future. It would begin tomorrow when she would make sure that his invitation for Saturday night's performance arrived with the sunrise. She wanted it to be the first thing he saw that morning while she would be on the other side of Paris preparing herself for a day's sleep.

Bella decided to sleep in her large, soft and empty bed instead of the vault underneath it.

And tonight she would not feel alone.

* * *

**Notes:**

**For those of you who would like more Bella Voce action, you will be happy to know that the Bella Voce forum on is the place where I post teasers and answer questions: **

**My wife and I are always discussing stuff on twitter as well. (at)MorganLocklear or (at)AquariumJenn. Feel free to follow us.**

**I continue to be humbled by everyone's reviews and support of Bella Voce. There are some incredible stories being written in the fandom and to be included in their company is an honor. **

**This story is a rollercoaster ride but I am giving us all a breather for the next few chapters. Although next week there will be some pretty heavy breathing….**

**Finally…Congratulations to Mr. Pattinson for turning in a wonderful performance in 'Remember Me.' It will be hated by jealous men everywhere. While it may have been released far too early to be considered for next years' awards, I hope that Rob has silenced his critics once and for all with this moving film. If you are all out watching it on this "Remember Me Saturday", I completely understand…**


	6. Chapter 6: Bliss

**Disclaimer:**

**If I had written Twilight we wouldn't feel the need to be posting all these lemons.**

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Bliss**

Sunrise in Paris brought with it a silhouette of _Notre-Dame_. Edward stood on his balcony facing East where the once revolutionary cathedral and engineering marvel was now a near ruin. It was built slowly during all of the 1200s, centuries before Bella was born.

When she first came to France in 1765, she had visited often at night but services were moved to nearby churches as the decades wore on. The last significant event to take place there was Napoleon's self coronation and even then it had been in a sorry state of repair. That was in 1804, nearly one hundred years earlier. For the last four decades, it had sat completely abandoned. Edward often watched the sun slowly caress its way along the stone surface of the church and wondered if the pipe organ inside still worked.

He stood on the narrow terrace with his hands on the iron railing. The sling for his formally injured arm had been discarded and was now resting on his bed. He was shirtless and his muscles flexed as he leaned forward to look down at the back porch sniffing the air for traces of a breakfast that was only moments away.

Esme was an early riser and when the early riser made breakfast, the rest of the family quickly followed suit.

Feeling liberated from injury and anxiety, Edward decided to help his mother with the meal and was turning to go back inside to dress when he noticed Jacob's big black carriage gliding up the hill. His horses were just as black and shiny as the coach itself and they all matched Jacob's long black hair.

Though still some distance away, he waved to Edward and was happy to see that someone was awake at the house. Jacob had balked when Bella asked him to leave on a dawn errand but quickly backed down when her all too familiar fiery stare ignited. As Jacob journeyed across the city he realized he was happier than he had been in a long time. Before Bella asked him to come to Paris he may very well have killed himself out of boredom or loneliness. Either of those two woes would plague an immortal to suicide but Jacob had a third and far worse curse to nurse.

He was unable to sleep.

Not a wink.

Not since the night of his first transformation.

Sleep was a favor for the weary mind and having an uninterrupted stream of consciousness was taking a toll on Jacob. He was as sharp and intelligent as ever but lately he noticed he was emotional over very small things. That very morning for instance, when he had questioned Bella's behavior over her early morning delivery, Bella shared with Jacob her belief that Edward was her soul mate and that she was going to give herself to him. Despite some of his misgivings for the young man, Jacob wept at the news and threw his hands up in celebration before he gathered his appendages and composed himself. Bella was amused and sufficiently confused so she said nothing.

Jacob, however, had been mortified. Until now, he had always been able to push his feelings aside. He had always counted on his emotional control as a vital survival skill.

It was the only way he could pretend to forget what happened to his parents.

Jacob was the only child of a Spanish farmer and an Egyptian mother. From the very beginning, he was a large boy and, by the age of ten, worked as heavily as his Pa did. As far as he or anyone else knew, Jacob was completely normal in every way. Like some boys are apt to do, Jacob challenged his father in his teenage years and, according to his mother, the two often quarreled about preposterous things.

Just after his fourteenth birthday he and his father had gotten into a heated argument about, of all things, the time of day. Without warning Jacob changed into a wolf.

He was a helpless witness as his massive body crushed his mother to the ground and snapped his father's bones with the sheer force of his expansion.

Unable to change back, Jacob fled into the woods horrified and panicked but padded down to the crippled house later that evening and whimpered for his loss. He curled up in front of the door and waited for sleep to grant him a merciful respite from the pain. It never came.

When the birds reported the sun's approach Jacob got up with goose bumps on his smooth skin. He was back in his human form and set about the task of removing his parents' broken bodies from the demolished kitchen. With silent tears spreading across his child's cheeks Jacob started digging his mother's grave. Grief eventually overtook him, and he started shuddering. He transformed again and let out a tortured howl before retreating into the woods. He did not return the next day.

It was almost a year before he went back to his boyhood home. By then, Jacob was cold and emotionless and prepared to finish the job he started. All he could find of his parents were bones, but he dug their graves and laid them to rest at last. He then reclaimed and repaired the house, began to harvest the land, and tried to continue on with his life. He grew bigger and taller for five or six years after his initial transformation and then he just seemed to freeze in time.

He suppressed his feelings and lived in that house for over eighty years learning how to change at will and without any emotional cue. He had put the past behind him, or so he thought, but when he met Bella and saw his house once again reduced to rubble he almost broke down in front of her. He knew if he cried in front of her it would be with such force that he would be left gasping for breath. All the grief and sorrow he had pushed away was waiting for him, only gathering strength during the near century it lay dormant. Jacob swallowed hard and could not bear the thought of staying on his land anymore so he spontaneously decided to go with her. It was the second best decision he ever made.

The best had been accepting Bella's invitation to join her in Paris. Life here had finally rekindled his hope.

Now, as he approached the rear of the Cullen residence, Jacob could see the man that would perhaps give his dear friend what she so richly deserved. Edward was a trifle daft for Jacob's taste but, then again, love could make even the most focused man blind and the most respectable woman a ravenous devil.

Speaking of the devil, he thought he could see the heather of his Rosalie's blonde hair through the glass panels of the kitchen door. She was the only one since Leah who had been powerful enough to take and hold his heart. Jacob felt his emotions begin to tide again and as he slowed the carriage in front of the house his eyes welled up once more. He jumped down away from the house and angrily wiped his fresh tears away.

Edward still felt guilty for the way he left things with Jacob and, by the looks of it, he was not in a forgiving mood. Jacob wore a strange expression as he looked at the house and never once back up at Edward, who was now more than ready to make his amends.

With a touch of trepidation, Edward broke the silence. "Good morning, Jacob. I owe you an apology."

"I know." Jacob's voice was strained and wet. "Shall I meet you in the garden?" he asked as he walked up to the porch.

"I'll be right down." Edward realized this was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated but was undeterred. After what had taken place last night with Bella, Edward knew he must do whatever was necessary to receive Jacob's trust and forgiveness. He opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted when Esme popped out the back door and yanked Jacob into the kitchen. Edward immediately turned and headed out of his room.

Upon hearing Jacob's early arrival, Rosalie raced out of the kitchen and up to her room to get her hair wrangled and put on something more presentable. As she opened her bedroom door to make her way back downstairs, she encountered her brother who was now pulling a rumpled shirt over his head and wandering too close to the edge of the stairs. Rosalie held out a hand to stop him.

"Slow down." She said as she pulled the rest of his shirt down. Rosalie's soft tone of voice and protective touch reminded Edward of their mother. "We just got you out of the hospital and we don't want you going back."

He smiled at her warmly. "Thanks, Rose."

Edward had not called her that since they were both children and she rewarded him with a brief but sincere smile.

"I heard you talking to Jacob from your room," she stated, moving the moment forward.

"Has Mom found him yet?"

"Just now." Edward told her.

"Well then," Rosalie said as she gestured to the stairs. "After you." Now she reminded him of their father.

"Oh no, I couldn't." Edward said positively aghast at the idea of descending the staircase before a lady. "After you, please."

Rosalie fixed him with a stare that required the use of both hands and her hips. "Quit trying to be nice Edward. I just don't want you falling into me." She gave him a little shove and he trotted down the stairs resolved to the fact that his older sister knew what she was talking about.

Once they got off the stairs and into the parlor Rosalie jostled in front of Edward and shuffled towards the dining room. Edward let her beat him to the door jamb, but pulled himself through it quickly and overtook her as they passed the dining room table. He would have beaten her to the kitchen door, but Rosalie always fought dirty. She swept a chair into her brother's path and he went down like a meteor.

"Good morning." She sang as she breezed into the room. "Why Jacob! What brings you here?"

"Good morning, Rosalie." Jacob stood as she entered the room, his tone somewhat distracted. He had caught a brief glimpse of Edward lying on the floor next to a fallen chair as the kitchen door swung closed behind her. Normally, he would have probed further into the scene but since Rosalie did not appear concerned…

Upon her entrance, Carlisle lowered his paper, smirked at his daughter's feigned surprise and then brought it back up again.

"I have an invitation to give to you and your brother from Miss Swan." Jacob held out the envelope to her but it was plucked from his meaty fingers by Edward, who had now joined the rest of the family, reaching over his sister's head to grab it.

"Thank you, Jacob." He smiled crookedly as he opened the envelope.

**Dearest Edward and Rosalie Cullen,**

**I know that your parents are attending**

**this Saturday's performance and I would**

**like to invite you to attend as well.**

**For Edward, I have arranged a seat next to **

**Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.**

**And Jacob has requested the use of my private **

**box and would like Rosalie to join him there.**

**I would like to meet you all after the show.**

**Respectfully Yours,**

**Bella**

Edward held the note out so his sister could read it along with him and then he replaced it in the envelope, offering it back to Jacob with a smile. "Tell her that we'd be delighted."

"What makes you think I need that back?" Jacob's face hardened and he paused long enough for Edward to feel uncomfortable. He then broke into a loud and contagious laugh.

Jacob's bark startled Carlisle almost out of his chair and that made Esme and Edward reel with laughter. Rosalie just watched Jacob. He was beautiful with his bronze skin and his deep dark eyes. His laugh was animal and fun loving and she knew in that moment she wanted to listen to it for the rest of her life. For the time being, however, she was looking forward to an evening alone with Jacob in a private theatre box.

With five of them for breakfast it was almost necessary to use the dining room table but Esme squeezed herself in between Carlisle and Edward after serving sausage and potatoes. She had also managed to acquire some oranges, a rare treat, and they all had a wedge with their morning meal along with their coffee. Rosalie and Jacob were amused to discover they both took theirs as black as the carriage and horses waiting outside. Edward, like his mother and father, always added lots of cream and lots of sugar.

While they ate breakfast Jacob and Rosalie touched knees under the table and reached down occasionally to clasp hands. It was a sweet albeit clumsy exchange which Edward worked hard to ignore. Esme seemed unaware but Edward suspected that she was also affording the two as much privacy as a shared table could afford. Carlisle's newspaper contributed to his continued obliviousness.

When the meal was over Jacob excused himself and Rosalie walked him back to his coach. Edward helped Esme clean the dishes and they confirmed that he had no piano lessons to teach that day. Edward, who had not slept much the previous night, was glad to have a day free to relax and without worry. Esme was also happy to have a break from the greedy eyes of his students' mothers. Many of them were getting quite bold and all of them seemed to be buying new dresses for each visit.

Rosalie and Jacob walked back into the kitchen together, having decided not to part ways quite so early in the day. "Jacob's taking me to the flea market." She announced this with uncharacteristic zeal.

The _marches aux puces,_ so named for the condition of some of the garments sold there, was located just outside the North border of Paris in _Clignancourt._ They lazily strolled around the market while Rosalie hunted for good deals on buttons, books, accessories, and that elusive perfect buy. Jacob needed nothing but her company and found it was fun being out with her like this. Like normal. When he took her back home, he traveled along the river so the afternoon sun would be accompanied by a cool breeze. It was August and as warm as ever Paris got.

* * *

The Cullens ate their usual Saturday meal; sweet roasted potatoes, Rosemary lamb and cinnamon apples. Carlisle wore the apron that evening and enjoyed preparing a fine meal for his family. He poured wine generously and, by the time Jacob was heard bringing his carriage up to the house, all four of the Cullens were warm and ready for a show.

As they all walked out the back door, Carlisle stopped in mid-step. It had only just occurred to him that he would be forced to ride in the famed rolling boudoir. He tried to make himself walk but his feet were frozen to the wooden porch. It was not until he told himself that he could ride up front with Jacob that his polished brown shoes began to move again.

_I'm an understanding father, but I'm not going in there._

As Carlisle climbed up to sit next to Jacob, his family filed in through both open doors and sat on luxurious emerald green benches facing forward and back. The small window on each door allowed only a small amount of street light to seep inside the carriage. Edward immediately took note of the heavy wooden shutters they had. They would certainly insure that sunlight could not penetrate the carriage if a passenger was so inclined.

The shutters, along with all the other wood inside the coach, were a decadent amber color that instantly reminded Edward of Bella's eyes. The vivid memory of her made him realize, yet again, how much he missed her. It had been nearly three days since their visit to the Eiffel Tower. Three agonizing days since they had spoken, seen or touched one another.

It felt like an eternity to him.

Up above, Jacob never questioned Carlisle's choice of seat. In fact, he took it as a compliment that Rosalie's father wanted to ride up front with him. He guided the black carriage through the thick summer air that stayed warm and heavy well into the morning. As they crossed the newly enlarged _Pont d'Austerlitz _over the _Seine_ River, Jacob's happy mood burst through and he began singing an Irish tune in a sweet and clear voice. His echoes over the still and flat river lent a chorus to his simple but beautiful song.

**Last night while I was sleeping____** His voice was rich but smooth, like caramel.

**She visited my dreams **He was a baritone and smiled when he sang.

**And each one was better than the last__________ **He had a flare for theatrics and threw his arms wide, the reigns momentarily appearing right under Dr. Cullen's nose.

**Once when I woke up and realized, what was happening_______**

He held this last note as he started stomping his foot in double time.

**- - - I went right back to sleep, and fast.**

For the second time through, he kept his newly acquired tempo so now his words followed the cadence provided by the horses' hoofs clopping on the stone bridge. In spite of himself, Carlisle was charmed by the song and began singing along adding his own baritone to the already chummy mix.

Since Jacob could not sleep, the song was bittersweet for him. He had written it as a lullaby for himself long ago but had not thought about it in decades.

He had just begun to sing it around the theatre lately. One evening, Alice heard him and made him sing it for Bella who had never before heard her dear friend so much as hum. To his embarrassment, both women made a great fuss about his heretofore unknown talent. They complimented him so much that when he felt the urge to serenade the Paris sky and passersby he gave in to his impulse and confidently let his voice meet the clouds.

By the time they arrived at the theatre, all the other Cullens had taken a turn sticking their heads out one of the windows to gawk at Carlisle and Jacob swaying back and forth while singing a jig.

In harmony.

They arrived early but a line of ticket holders had already formed and the attendees were anxious to gain admission to the auditorium. Jacob drove past them and into the stable next to the building allowing enough room for everyone to get out.

He walked to the front of the line and unlocked the door to the lobby. "We're a little short handed tonight," he explained to the Cullens as he promptly collected all four tickets from the group and gestured to the waiting theatre. "You three have a wonderful time. Rosalie, would you mind waiting for me in the first box on the top floor?" He did not wait for an answer as his duties demanded he usher in the waiting crowd.

Carlisle and Esme followed Edward down to the front part of the auditorium after a brief goodbye to Rosalie, who began climbing the carpeted steps to the upper balconies. Edward was provided with a seat right next to his parents in the middle of the room. It was Carlisle's favorite section of any theatre and one he always referred to as the sweet spot. He would often close his eyes and allow the sound waves to take over his senses. Unknown to them all, it was a trait he shared with Bella.

The Cullen men sat on either side of Esme, who was wearing a velvet blue strapless dress that matched the huge curtain dominating the stage. They sat in obedient silence while the rest of the audience filtered in and then the curtain fluttered and produced a beautiful porcelain white face peeking from beneath brown curls. Edward's heart stuttered when he realized he was not imagining her. Bella spotted Edward and a bare white arm popped out from behind the curtain to wave him forward. Edward looked around nervously and reluctantly pointed to himself. _Yes you, _said the second hurried wave of the skeletal hand.

"Oh drat_." _Edward said to himself. His heart was still singing with joy at the sight of her but everyone was watching and he was ever so shy with his public affections. "I hope she doesn't want a good luck kiss._"_ He joked with his father before rising.

He excused himself across the row and shuffled down the aisle. When he got to the front row he was faced with a choice; he could either climb the side steps and walk along the front of the curtain, or move down through the front row and speak to her over the twittering and tuning orchestra pit. He sighed but smiled as he celebrated a small victory.

"I can't kiss her from across the pit_._"He said to nobody as he excused himself once more and maneuvered down the half occupied seats of the front row until he was directly in front of her.

She was smiling at him broadly with lively but care warned eyes that made her look like both mother and child. "Blow me a good luck kiss." She said brightly.

Edward was horrified. He had not considered this possibility, the _blown_ kiss. _Drat._ This was worse than if he had trimmed the curtain and spoken to her face to face. This was worse than if he had trimmed the curtain and fallen headfirst into the string section.

Bella watched his struggle and decided that he was most adorable when he was frustrated, especially if he was frustrated about appearances and gentlemanly behavior.

"Bella," he began then shot a look down at the settling musicians. "Miss Swan, I couldn't-I mean it wouldn't be proper even for a small-my parents are here-and-if we could just nod respectfully at each other?" He nodded so deeply that it was more of a bow and he looked right into the eyes of a snickering African man sitting at an elaborate drum set. The man had a hair style that Edward had never seen before, it looked like hundreds of braids were cascading down his shoulders, and every one of them had a bright yellow bead attached at their ends. Edward brought his gaze back up to Bella who was shaking her head slowly from side to side.

"Just blow me a kiss poor boy and you can go sit down." Bella was winding him up and enjoying the show, of course, but she also was not about to be denied in her own theatre.

"I'm sorry Miss Swan, but I can't do that." Edward was starting to sweat. He could feel it form between his shoulder blades and trickle down his back in tiny cold beads.

The pit was now silently following the volley with their eyes and grins.

Bella was not having fun anymore. "Blow me a kiss, Edward. Everyone is watching."

"Exactly." He said pointedly. "_Everyone_ is watching." Edward was flattered that she was so insistent to receive his favors before the show but felt that standards must remain. "I'm afraid that you'll just have to wait until after the show."

The pit responded with a few grumbles now but he stood firm.

"What makes you think that there will be _anything_ after the show?" Bella replied with only a trace of the heat he knew she possessed.

The pit offered a smattering of applause at her rebuke.

All the color drained from Edward's face as he stammered something about how maybe they had both been a little hasty.

Bella was having fun again. "Last chance to blow me a kiss, Edward." She warned her voice low and sultry.

Edward took a deep breath and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I can't, Bella."

His answer earned more grumbles for the pit, some bordering on heckles.

Bella felt for him in that moment but wanted one more poke. She had noticed something about him the first night they met and now thought of the perfect way to test her theory.

"If you don't blow me a kiss...I will make you." Bella gave him a defiant stare that sparked something deep within him.

"Good luck." He said firmly. Edward turned and walked back toward his seat, only allowing himself to smirk when he scuttled through the rapidly filling chairs.

Bella scanned her guys in the pit and gave them an encouraging smile. They had played their part well, and Edward would love his surprise tomorrow. Then she gave Laurent a nod that told him he could start the overture whenever he was ready. He was twirling a white metal brush and used it to tap a big brass cymbal that sprayed a delicate trickle of noise over the heads of his colleagues.

Jacob, who had only just seated the last patron, was standing by for the cue and tripped the breaker that severed the connection the theatre had with the now famous electric Paris street lights, bathing the hall in darkness.

Everyone waited in silence.

And darkness.

And still more silence.

Jacob was fast, but had a lot of stairs to climb.

Silence.

And he was climbing them quietly because Bella scolded him whenever he stomped his way up the four flights.

More silence.

He was half way up now.

Silence.

Edward remembered it not taking this long before.

Silence.

Jacob used a custom made spotlight, one he was very proud of designing, to place a huge warm circle of light on the sapphire curtain. His work done, Jacob strolled the short distance from the light booth to Bella's box and his waiting Rosalie. He was thankful that Jane was there to pull the curtains because he did not want to imagine going back down to do it. Jane was small, a child really, but she was strong for her age because Jacob had seen that curtain's weight lift people right up off their feet. At age fourteen, she was only there so late because her father played stand up bass in the pit.

The girls who usually worked in the lobby; taking tickets, assisting audience members, running the spotlight and so forth had been sent to Alice and fitted in frilly white layered dresses with red accents and ruffles. They had all been taught some fairly challenging choreography by Bella when she decided months ago to begin working on a show of all Spanish music. Tonight was the debut of a performance that would last into the autumn. It would be followed by a holiday music review they would soon have to begin rehearsing.

Laurent, who had petitioned for what he called 'a spicy night' in every practice session since _Gustave Eiffel_ was walking around the _Champs de Mar_ with a measuring stick,hit his crash cymbal once more. This time with a white wooden stick and as hard as he could. The show had begun.

The production was a relentless shock of intricate but thundering Spanish guitar and elaborately arranged numbers that went on for ages. It also displayed a sultry, sexy side of Bella that made Edward long for her in a way he had never imagined. This music clearly brought out her desire, sending waves of pulsing need through the air, seemingly aimed right at Edward. As he watched her every seductive movement, Bella made him wish that he was not sharing her with four hundred other hushed souls.

As if Bella's voice wasn't bewitching enough, she also demonstrated her skill for choreography and was clearly a graceful and joyful dancer. She once bit her lip right before a particularly difficult step and, as focused as Edward was on the most alluring parts of her, he knew he was the only one who had noticed it. The pit was alive with exotic sounds and Bella moved her body to the rhythm in such a way that Edward felt his blood pressure rise. At one point, he was forced to cross his legs in guilty reply, succinctly looking over at his mother to make sure she was blissfully unaware of his intense physical response.

He was happy to observe that Esme was dazed by Bella's talent. Likewise, his father also seemed to be wholly focused on her performance. As he peeked around at the audience, it seemed that everyone was not just riveted, but locked onto her. His heart soared with pride as he turned his attention back to what the mesmerized flock was watching. Edward wondered how long Bella and her versatile orchestra had been working on this material while maintaining a show as well rehearsed as the Mozart concert he seen one week earlier.

Edward also studied the stage floor briefly while Bella and four other women fanned around in a weave of beauty and cloth and found it to be wholly repaired. Edward did not see the gold piano anywhere. He knew it was far too large to go into the pit and inwardly mourned the possible loss of such a beautiful and underused instrument.

He was watching the shadows from the pit being tossed around when he noticed the people in front of him start blowing kisses to Bella.

Edward then watched as the whole front of the theatre began kissing their palms and blowing said kisses toward the stage. He turned to his mother with a question on his lips and froze when she also blew a kiss to Bella. Next to her, Carlisle was eagerly pressing his lips to his hand and blowing an aimed shot after every application. Edward wondered what had gotten into them. He looked back up to the stage and saw that Bella was staring right at him. Edward quickly glanced to all sides and even looked behind him.

Everyone was blowing kisses to her _except_ him.

Although confused and not understanding how he had been the only person in the room to miss a cue, he now knew it would be rude not to participate so he gladly blew several soft kisses to Bella. The small gesture felt wonderful, especially when he saw her lips part slightly in reaction to his kisses. He was now desperate to get his lips much closer to her body by the end of the night.

_A-ha! _Bella thought as she concluded her slightly altered version of a pepped up wedding song Laurent had taught the group. _He just takes a little longer than the others. _She watched as Edward and everyone else blew her kisses and then told them all they could stop. And nearly everyone did.

Edward was the only one who continued doing so after her command but her attention had refocused on her performance and Bella did not notice this.

He only stopped blowing kisses when he felt his mother's hand tug on his arm pulling it back down to his lap. When he turned to look at his parents they were both staring at Edward with furrowed brows.

Apparently, he had missed another cue.

The four exquisitely dressed dancers fluttered and jumped in splendid unison as Bella concluded the show and Edward noted for the second time that Bella told everybody that they could leave freely during her final song. Last week she had worked it effortlessly into _Queen of the Night_ and now she had done it again and this time in Spanish. Edward wondered if he was the only person in the room who found it peculiar.

He was.

Jacob and Rosalie had not paid attention to the goings on since the first part of the first verse of the first song. Considering the bird's eye view they had of the stunning production, it was a shame.

Afterwards, Bella invited the whole Cullen family into her backstage room for champagne and introductions. Edward was again taken with the black carpeted floor and walls offset with a smattering of gold and purple loveseats placed back to back. Bella was still wearing the white frilly dress that she had twirled in onstage. She smiled at Edward as the family entered the room but before she could grasp his hand it was grasped by Carlisle and shaken vigorously.

_Like father like son, _she thought as he complimented her with only a few well chosen words, his endearing maturity on display. In that moment, she caught a glimpse at the man her Edward would likely become in a few short years.

Bella walked over to Edward with a grin on her face and nodded her head, honoring his earlier request for an appropriate show of public affection. He laughed and took both of her hands in his. She was always surprised at how warm Edward was. His hands felt like baked bread as he brought hers to his coal hot lips and kissed each one. He began his now familiar rambling in a quiet whisper.

"You are exquisite and the most- ah - Mom's here - ah - beautiful amazing woman and I apologize for my selfish behavior right before your performance. I love you Bella Swan and I will never deny you anything ever again." His smile was dazzling and Bella watched how it puckered his cheeks in shy dimples.

Edward now brought his voice to a normal tone and as calm and assured as could be announced, "I would now like to introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Esme Cullen."

Edward regrettably released one of her hands. Bella could still feel the warm spots where his kisses had met her skin. He spun on his heel opening up the union to include Esme. Edward then very slowly released her other hand and took a step back.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Mrs. Cullen and please allow me to apologize for the injury your son sustained in my care last week." Bella spoke plainly, almost gravely.

Esme paid this no mind and neither did she accept the small skeletal hand Bella offered to her as a greeting. Instead she threw her arms around the beautiful girl and hugged her fiercely.

"You have made my Edward so happy, Miss Swan." She whispered in Bella's ear.

"You have raised a wonderful man." She said and then stepped back to address the entire Cullen family. "And please…call me Bella."

Rosalie stepped forward and stuck her hand out. "Bella, I'm Rosalie, and if you like Edward so much, I'll gladly trade him for Jacob." They all laughed and then drank a few toasts before retiring for the night. Jacob escorted Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie out of the dressing room to take them home and told Edward that he would return…..eventually.

Edward conveyed his thanks and told Jacob not to hurry.

When Jacob closed the door behind him, Bella walked slowly over to Edward, kissed his smooth chin and looked deeply into his green eyes.

"Follow me, lover."

* * *

Edward watched with some surprise as Bella scooted a love seat to the back wall revealing a hole in the carpet filled with a spiral staircase. Without a word, she glided down the stairs and disappeared from his view. He slowly approached the stairway and peered below where he saw only shadows in candlelight. Edward descended the first few steps and paused to move the love seat back into place but found he could not budge it.

"I'll get that." Bella's voice was low, quiet and nearby. She stood on the stairs just below Edward and when she brushed past him to reach the sofa his entire body tingled with anticipation. He turned and began to descend the staircase leaving her to her chore. As he spun in tight circles he began to feel a little dizzy but he could not tell if it was due to the staircase or what awaited him once he reached his destination. His hand instinctively reached for the well worn railing to secure his balance and at the bottom he paused to allow his vision to adjust.

Bella's room was illuminated by only four candles. Two were sitting on a colossal book shelf that stretched along the sixty foot wall to Edward's left while the other two were sitting at the base of two newly built brick pillars sitting in the middle of the room. The supports were close enough to each other that Edward was able to walk forward and stand between them, stretching out his arms and touching the cool stone. He was now facing a grand and gorgeous bed with a massive dark wooden frame and a luxurious stuffed mattress piled with white silk layers he longed to get lost in.

The whole bed looked brand new.

He felt his chest tighten, forcing him to take in a deep breath. Fresh morter mingled with melted wax and together they hid most of the room's secrets but, as Edward inhaled, he detected a sweet and delicious perfume in the air.

Bella watched Edward silently as he made his way into her room. When he extended his arms between the two posts, she watched his coat tighten against his back, defining his broad shoulders. His silhouette captivated her and, under any other circumstances, she would have been reluctant to tear her eyes from him. Instead, she eagerly spun around to pull the love seat back into its original place and as the light from the dressing room above was extinguished, Edward turned away from the bed. When Bella began to make her own way down the staircase, their eyes locked and neither could look away.

Edward watched as Bella approached him through suggestive flickers of firelight and he slowly removed his suit coat, discarding it to the floor with only a twinge of guilt at the rough treatment of the garment. When she reached him, her hands immediately gravitated to the buttons of his shirt and she took pride in the fact that she dislodged several of them without hesitation or clumsiness. As soon as his upper chest was exposed, Bella could not resist placing her lips on him. She heard his precious heartbeat accelerate as she began kissing his smooth chest and paused to test her resolve. Bella breathed him in, intent on taking each moment slowly. His life depended on it. While she carefully explored this single part of him, Edward allowed himself a lasting slow breath of her baby soft hair. He reached up, placing his hands gently on her head and pulled her face up to look into her penetrating gaze.

He remained silent while Bella attempted to speak. "If you only knew…" Her voice quickly faded away.

Trying to articulate her feelings, Bella was suddenly hit with the enormity of the moment and was certain of two things. First, she knew she had never loved anyone like she loved Edward and second, she was unable to tell him this right now without crying all over him. Bella made a quick decision - no more talking.

She had waited centuries for this and she was not going to ruin it with discussion.

Edward's eyes were curious but he continued to watch her quietly, intent on allowing her whatever control she needed. He wondered if this was difficult for her, if she was tempted to do more to him physically than love him. Edward knew he should be nervous, perhaps even scared, because of what she was but he also knew she loved him. When Bella had come to his room several evenings ago, he had reminded her of her promise never to cause him harm. Edward told her he would never doubt her again. He trusted her completely and this was his first opportunity to prove to Bella that he had meant what he said.

She began to unbutton the rest of his shirt while he held her face, his thumbs lightly massaging her cheekbones. Gently she pushed against Edward's chest and started walking him backwards toward the bed. Edward looked away from her eyes and watched her hands while they coaxed more little ivory buttons out into the open. When he felt his calves nestle against the sturdy bed frame he stopped and watched as Bella untucked and then opened his shirt, exposing him to her cool embrace. Edward responded to her soothing skin by leaning his head back and running his fingers through her silky hair as it spilled over her shoulders and lightly floated across his stomach.

Bella was astounded by his warmth and his heartbeat was an ocean of sounds as she rested her head on his smooth skin. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of his strong fingers massaging her scalp. Her hands found their way to the small of his back and plucked at the waistband that stubbornly denied her access to the rest of him.

They separated after a few long sweet breaths and Bella started to pull the dress straps off of her shoulder. Edward realized that cruel gravity was going to force him to take in her naked body all at once. He was not sure if he could handle such a sight.

Bella was fearless and barely hesitated before she allowed the dress to caress her bare breasts as it slid down her body and pooled at her feet. She watched Edward's reaction carefully. He looked like he was going to faint and, when he sat down on the bed before her, she thought for a moment that he would. She remained perfectly still.

Edward saw her body exposed before him and took a long minute to memorize every inch of it. The way her teardrop breasts were capped with hard cranberry tips, the way her belly button looked like a small slit in her abdomen and, finally, the delicate patch of chestnut hair at the junction of her thighs. He was overcome with desire, relief, and…..

Gratitude.

He slid off the bed onto his knees kissing the skin between her breasts. She twisted her hands into his hair and guided his burning mouth first to one breast and then the other, moaning softly as he explored each one with his lips and tongue. He eventually allowed his hands to find their way around her tiny waist and lightly traced circles on the small of her back before settling on the soft round tissue of her bottom.

Edward was in heaven. Bella's skin was so cool and soft and she tasted divine but he worried about what to do next. He felt this moment passing and was getting anxious about the fact that his shoes were still on. Edward did not know how to remove them without the vulgarities that come with hopping around the room on one foot.

In the end, he simply stood up, pulled his shirt from his muscular arms and threw it on top of his jacket. Bella gasped and her reaction fueled his fire. He shuffled out of his shoes with a few light kicks and more grace than he deserved. Edward then began unbuttoning his pants which had been growing tight for the last several minutes. Bella's hands rested lightly on his forearms while he quickly worked out the three buttons with increasing urgency. Edward had always thought when the moment came, he would be self conscious but now he could not seem to free himself from his clothing fast enough.

As he bent down to step out of his trousers Bella was treated to a view of his smooth and strong back, his tight skin stretched over lean muscles. When he stood up he was free of all clothes and Bella resisted the urge to push him down on the bed.

She regarded him unapologetically swallowing heavily when she got to the part of him that was casting a large shadow on his stomach. She closed the already small distance between them and reached down to take hold of him, happy to discover that her fingers did not touch on the other side. Edward gasped with surprise and pleasure and then Bella placed both hands on the back of his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. When their unclothed bodies touched for the first time, Edward's arms instinctively wrapped around Bella and pulled her to him as tightly as he could.

They continued to kiss and stood with their bodies pressed together for several long sublime moments, savoring the feel of new curves against one another. Edward was a furnace of heat and Bella knew she would not last long before she would need that heat surrounding her completely, penetrating her. She wanted everything all at once.

Bella reconsidered her initial decision to push him to the bed and suddenly Edward felt himself falling back onto the soft and cool sheets. He smiled up at Bella and was met with a playful smirk. Embracing the carefree moment, Edward laughed and scooted backwards on the sheets. Bella watched with fascination as the most unfamiliar part of him remained perfectly stiff and still as he made his way across the bed. When he reached the pillows, he reclined back on them and immediately felt at ease. Bella broke into wild giggles as she threw herself to the empty side of the bed and snuggled up beside him. She rested her head on his neck and traced flowers on his smooth and sculpted chest.

"Are you nervous?" She asked, the playful mood between the two shifting into something more serious.

"I'm a little worried about hurting you. Do you think it's likely?" Given her supernatural strength and abilities, they both wanted to laugh at the suggestion. However, since neither knew how to answer the question, they both reflected on it.

"I'm not sure." Bella responded, honestly. "I don't believe you will."

"I know I will do my best not to." Edward spoke quietly, amazed by Bella's confidence in him. His smile started in his eyes as usual and filtered down to his mouth just before he looked down and his dimples popped in. "I'm kind of excited." Edward confessed.

"I can tell." Bella said while giving his hard body an appraising examination.

"Are you…..alright?" Edward asked tentatively, his eyes locked on her abdomen. He wondered if she understood he was asking about more than her nerves.

Edward did not notice Bella's eyes briefly shift to the back of the room where a heavy black curtain separated her living and bathing quarters. She knew the inquiry he was making and felt awe at his complete acceptance of something she had always considered so inhuman.

"I'm fine and thank you for caring."

Edward mumbled something about self preservation and Bella began laughing again. She rolled back onto the feather stuffed bedspread, her legs parting just enough to drive him mad. He lifted himself up on his elbow and admired her body and when she rolled closer to him he trapped her in his arm and pushed himself on top of her. Edward also squeezed her legs in his powerful thighs as he slowly lowered himself down to her breasts. He reintroduced himself to the sensitive skin there before moving further down to her velvety stomach. He lightly dragged his soft lips down her rib cage and past her navel. As he began softly kissing the nest of fine hair between her legs, his hands reached to find hers. He laced their fingers together before he placed a hungry kiss on the delicate pink cleft that responded to his touch by quivering.

Bella arched her back as Edward grew bolder and more adventurous. He was a frenzy of activity and Bella was impressed with his creativity. She felt her legs tense as she focused on the building pleasure coursing throughout her entire body. After a lifetime spent alone, the experience of exposing herself to this gentle and magnificent man in the most intimate of ways was surreal. His steamy breath combined with his wet kisses quickly had her body reacting in ways she had never experienced. Despite the fact she did not need oxygen, her breathing became heavy as she tried to keep up with the growing intensity Edward's touch was creating. She felt some nervousness as her reacting body began to overtake her mind. Bella knew a release was coming and she wondered briefly if she would keep control and keep him safe. Bella thought about stopping Edward but instead raised her knees up, covering his ears with her thighs and held on tight to his head.

For Edward the world was swallowed in a delirious white noise made up of her soft naked thighs pressing against his head. He sat in a cool cocoon of skin and lost himself in her April scent and silky taste. Bella was in awe of the feeling that was quickly claiming her and she honestly did not know what was going to happen. All she knew was that she wanted to be holding Edward when her pleasure finally overtook her. Bella whispered his name and looked down between her breasts as he brought his eyes up to meet hers.

"Come closer my love." She said and rotated her hips in an inviting way that had Edward hustling up to join her. He buried his face in her neck and started kissing her passionately, feeling only with his hardened excitement for the moistness his mouth had just left behind. When he did, he was quickly enveloped on all sides as Bella, who could not wait any longer, pushed her body down onto the warm and intimidating expression of his desire.

The gasp of breath from both of them punctuated the moment.

Somewhat unprepared for her aggression, Edward pulled his head away from her neck to study her face. He needed to make sure she was not hurting before he would allow himself to continue. Bella's heated eyes focused first on his mouth before looking deeply into his sparkling green eyes with reassurance and encouragement.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours as they poured over each other, panting and pleasuring long into the night. They showered each other with kisses and soft compliments during their inaugural lovemaking and they never missed a chance to laugh at the mechanics of changing positions as they were eager to try everything they had ever heard of. And Bella had heard of a lot.

Thankfully, Edward was an excitable lover and was not about to let any opportunity to adore her pass him by as he tugged, licked and filled her again and again.

He was behind her when he finally became vocal himself and she delighted as he lost control. Edward's hands were on her hips and urgently pulled her toward him as he thrust deep into her satin. She was fascinated by the feeling of him pulsing inside her when he stopped suddenly and shuddered.

Edward fell to the bed, a sweaty and spent mass of muscle and joy. Bella traveled up and down his body blowing cool air over his drying skin and was treated by the gentle sound of his relaxed breathing.

"I will always love you Bella." He whispered. She returned his sentiment with a beautiful smile and continued her mission to cool his overheated skin.

Edward felt his emotions and his sudden exhaustion overtaking him. "I will always love you…but…" He felt the words he had been holding back since their night at the Eiffel Tower rushing out of his lips.

"I don't think I can become a vampire."

**

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**Notes:**

**Thank you to everyone for following my story. I continue to be amazed by the encouragement and support for Bella Voce.**

**I would also like to thank two people who gave unsolicited recommendations this week.**

**(at)RoseArcadia, the talented woman responsible for my graphics on the Twilighted forum, wrote a tender and winning review of Bella Voce on her blog. Thank you, Rose. (I can't wait for our little secret to come out.)**

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**A new acquaintance and author of Retail Therapy, cosmogirl7481 read Bella Voce and promptly recommended it in her author's notes. I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you, Cosmo.**

**Next week: Chapter Seven: The Pit.**

**MOG**


	7. Chapter 7: The Pit

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

**Morgan Locklear owns an autographed photo of John Stamos**

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**The Pit**

Bella was hurt by Edward's words especially because of his deplorable timing.

Why would he tell her this now? After they beautifully gave themselves to one another? His statement was evidence that she still did not understand him. She did, however, empathize with Edward and therefore did not allow it to ruin her perfect evening. It was unrealistic for him to know what to do in the short time they had known each other. Michael had not given Bella the benefit of making her own choices and, because she had never given Alice the choice, she was determined to let Edward come to his own conclusions.

With her assistance, of course.

"What makes you so sure?" Bella asked hoping that his motive could be picked apart.

He shrugged his bare shoulders and remained quiet, debating his choice of words.

"I can't commit murder." Edward was resolved to the statement and Bella was not surprised to find that he had cut right to the heart of the matter.

"You can't think of it that way, Edward." Bella knew it was a weak argument but it was all she could offer.

"I can't…_not_ think of it that way." He stated simply.

"Then you think I'm a killer?" Bella was not smiling and she hoped she could trap him if he stammered and backtracked in his next statement. He did not.

"I know you're a killer." His eyes were fixed on hers but his face was relaxed as they stared at each other.

And they stared for a long time.

Bella could have asked him why had he just made love to a murderer. Or she could have explained that once he became a vampire he would understand just how weak humans were and that it felt natural to feed on them. Instead, she watched him carefully. The activity within Edward's eyes suggested he was alarmed at the sudden change in emotional temperature. It drained the hurt right from her heart.

Edward had been so accepting of her. He was being truthful with her now. Bella struggled with her thoughts and feelings. She needed to be honest with him about everything, but with his mind set on remaining human, she also felt the need to protect him from the gruesome maintenance of it all - if only for a little while longer.

For the time being she would speak frankly, just as he had.

"Yes, I am. And you would be too if you changed." She waited for his response.

"I don't blame you for what you have to do." He said softly. "I just _know _that I can't do it. Please forgive me." Bella saw his eyes glisten over with sadness and watched his body tense as if waiting for the worst of blows to strike him. Bella knew this admission was difficult for him. He was not only exposing his heart but potentially his life.

It was more than she could bear.

"Alright, Edward." She smiled, despite her disappointment. "I forgive you for not wanting to become a killer."

His gratified but bewildered expression was all it took to wipe away her sadness. "Thank you, Bella."

"I didn't have a choice, as you know. I've turned someone without giving them a choice."

It was hard for her to think about that night with Alice but Bella knew the residual pain and guilt she felt would keep her from making a fatal mistake with Edward.

"You need to understand something…" Now it was Bella's eyes that moistened and her muscles that braced for the worst.

Edward saw that she had stopped to collect her emotions. Her pause was not intended to allow him a response, but he offered one anyway. "You can tell me anything, Bella."

She dropped her head and her voice. "I have lived long enough to see almost twenty generations live and die. Your life will be so short, Edward. I don't know if I will be able to cope with the loneliness once you're gone. I've seen what happens when an immortal loses their mortal love. It's the worst kind of torture."

Edward was a thoughtful man and took time to process the weighty statement. He felt selfish and had not realized what Bella was sacrificing by loving a human. "I'm sorry, my love. I didn't think about it that way."

Bella now allowed her eyes to meet his. "Please understand. I don't need you to hear you say that you will become a vampire right now, Edward. I only know it would be difficult for me if you wouldn't consider it later on." She tried not to cry as she spoke the last sentence. Bella wanted this night to be a pleasant memory.

Edward seemingly read her mind. He reached for her, took her face in both his warm hands and kissed her tenderly. His lips were soft and intent on expressing his deep love for her. When he pulled back slightly, he held her face to his.

"I promise that I'll think about it further." It was all he could honestly tell her.

She gave him a warm and relieved smile, her hope rekindled. "Yes. That's fair."

Bella's smile widened. "Besides, leaving you human does have its advantages. I love how hot your body feels."

Seizing the opportunity to salvage the moment, Edward rolled on top of her and eagerly pressed his lips to her ears. "Then I won't let any heat escape."

He pulled the covers up over them in a flourish leaving the two nestled together in the dark pocket. When he deliciously slid back into her she bit her lip in pleasure and grabbed his bottom as his hips drove his movements. They trembled in each others arms until a thin layer of sleep dropped over them.

After a short time, Bella woke to a familiar sound coming from her bathing room. Initially, the creaky noise was far away and quiet. It soon grew in volume before it was interrupted by a metallic 'thunk.'

Jacob was home and that meant Edward would be leaving soon. Bella rose and walked through the curtains with purpose. She would not have much time.

Edward did not hear the commotion, nor was he woken by the gentle jostling the bed gave as Bella rolled off. It was the light repetition of a quick dripping sound that stirred him from his sleep. It sounded like water on a tin roof and it was coming from Bella's bathing room. He turned to see if she was still in bed with him. She was not.

He lay back letting the brisk underground air waft across his still body and thought about the last several hours. Every trace of tension from their earlier conversation had been dissolved by their desire and Edward replayed the adventurous evening in his mind. They had discovered things that he was positive they, and they alone, invented and he was pleased with their ingenuity. He had particularly enjoyed when they sat facing one another on the fluffy white bed, their legs wrapped around each other. Edward's had been on the bottom and Bella's were raised up and resting on his muscular thighs. Their hands traveled over faces, down backs and across chests. They played with each others hair and looked deep into each others eyes, talking about their new feelings. They took turns marveling at the other with soft touches and whispers.

His memories elicited a response in him as he sat up and stretched his arms over his head. It would be time to leave soon and Edward was slightly concerned if everyone would be able to tell what he had done when he got home. _They certainly would if I went home like this,_ he thought as he looked down at his engorged troublemaker. He was smiling when he heard an odd noise push against the curtain that separated the two rooms. It was followed by the splash of water and then silence.

Bella came out through the curtains brushing her hair and wearing a robe Edward recognized from the night they met. Had it only been a week? The two of them were floating on air and flying over the world.

"What was that noise?" Edward asked as he stood up and walked to the foot of the bed.

"Er…what?" Even though Bella watched Edward intently, she was not paying attention to a word he was saying.

Edward stepped between the new brick posts and opened his arms to touch them. "That squeaking noise? What was it?" His smile was almost big enough to draw her attention, but as he moved his erection waggled back and forth like a schoolmarm's finger.

"Yes. It squeaks doesn't it?" She said dreamily.

Edward stepped behind a post and retrieved his pants breaking the spell. "Bella, you're not making sense." He laughed.

"Don't blame me!" She said in mock anger, hands popping to her hips. "You're the one walking around all…..nakedly."

"Nakedly?" Edward's eyebrows arched. _I think I just learned a new word._

"Nakedly!" Bella said triumphantly.

He dropped his trousers and walked over to her arms outstretched. She opened her robe as he drew near, inviting one last skin to skin embrace.

"Thank you for being gentle with me….at first." Bella breathed in his ear.

"You're welcome." He said falling into the perfect gentleman role easily.

"You gave me such incredible…" She paused. Unable to say the word out loud at first she supplied, "_Les petite mortes_."

Edward cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy, "The little deaths?"

"Yes," she said shyly, "its how the French refer to..." She trailed off.

"Orgasms?" Edward blushed for the both of them. "How do you know that?" He was more than a little impressed.

Bella shrugged. "We _are_ in Paris."

* * *

Sunday, as usual, was Edward's biggest lesson day. Esme made pitcher after pitcher of lemonade for the endless stream of houseguests assisted by Rosalie, who joined her in the garden that afternoon. She was secretly admiring her brother's technique as he taught and enjoyed his talent when he occasionally trembled the floorboards with his ferocious abandon. Edward's musical maturity far exceeded his physical years and he held a confidence that allowed him to take risks musically. Rosalie heard him mixing elements, pushing tempo, and dynamically stripping down a song to a layer so thin she caught herself holding her breath.

She would never admit it out loud but when Jacob sang his song out over the _Seine_ the previous evening Rosalie had been overjoyed to find someone who shared her brother's talents. As she reflected over the fine memory, she smiled and wondered what other surprises Jacob had in store for her.

When Jacob arrived in the later afternoon, Rosalie was softened up by the delicate caresses of music that had played in the garden since mid morning. She gladly walked between his outstretched arms and pressed herself into his massive chest. His black hair was just long enough to stroke her cheek as she melted in his strong embrace. She had never known happiness like this.

Esme offered him a drink, which he accepted. Jacob was then introduced to Madame Maurice who was waiting for her daughter, Claudette, to complete her lesson. The four of them sat in the shady courtyard and enjoyed the practice of a focused and advanced student. She and Edward were playing complicated duets, both of them luring brilliant sounds from the polished instrument.

When Edward escorted Claudette out to meet her mother, Jacob gave him a polite wave and a subtle nod of his head that suggested he had something to discuss. While he and Esme walked both women to the front door Jacob spoke to Rosalie in a warm voice.

"Hello my Rose." He scooted closer to her on the stone gargoyle bench.

"Hello, Jacob." She smiled. "Another message for Edward I take it?" She breathed wearily.

"I don't need to have a message for your brother to spirit me to your side, Love." He said reassuringly.

"Oh." She said, embarrassed. "Thank you, Jacob." She rested her head on his meaty arm as Edward strolled back into the afternoon shade.

"Hello, Edward." Jacob said as a grin tugged at his mouth. "I have a message for you."

Rosalie protested noisily and slapped Jacob's arm before storming off in faux fury.

"What was that about?" Edward asked watching his sister through the windows as she continued her tirade indoors.

"Just keeping her interested that's all." Jacob stood and nudged Edward hard in the ribs and laughed like a kid at a carnival.

Edward looked at him seriously. "Don't push her too far, my friend. Rosalie has a line and if it's crossed there is no going back."

Jacob accepted the advice with sincerity and informed Edward that his presence was needed at the theatre for that night's rehearsal. Initially, Edward was thrilled but then briefly reflected on the orchestra's reaction to his banter with Bella. Despite his nervousness, he decided to trust her and focused on the opportunity to look at some of the newer and unusual instruments in the pit. Edward was fascinated with the music science that Bella brought to her stage and, of course, was eager to see her again under any circumstances.

Edward accepted the invitation and Jacob went inside to seek out his wounded flower. "I'll be back at ten." He said as he walked into the house.

Edward fought rusty butterflies as their wings scraped his stomach walls for the rest of the day. It was the idea of meeting the seasoned musicians that was sputtering his heart and stuttering his head. He also knew that it would be difficult for him to sit in the theatre and watch. Edward envied those who would be directed by Bella that evening.

After dinner, Edward dressed casually in cream cotton pants that were woven so lightly the silhouette of his legs could occasionally be seen under the right lighting conditions. His short boots were the same worn but not cracked Italian leather he favored for outings and his shirt was summer storm gray with tiny midnight blue leaves embroidered on the collar.

Jacob arrived early with apricot truffles for the family and stood in the kitchen chatting with his mouth full when Edward walked in. Carlisle, who had arrived home early only moments before and had actually been followed up the hill by Jacob, handed a dark chocolate morsel to his son.

"Where are you two gents off to this evening?" Carlisle asked seeing that Edward was dressed to go out.

Jacob took the opportunity to answer the question as Edward had just popped the large succulent orb into his mouth. "I am ferrying the good Mr. Cullen to the _Theatre de la Nuit_, and then I am making haste back here to offer the good Miss Cullen a carriage ride to _Champs de Mars _and the Eiffel Tower."

"That's a nice spot." Edward reminisced.

Jacob continued, nodding to Carlisle. "That is, of course, if I have your permission to do so."

Carlisle could not suppress the smile that stole over his face at the mention of the word permission but he did not laugh. "I think that would be lovely." He said as he eyed his wife, who was licking chocolate from her fingers.

Esme smiled warmly at her husband's unspoken suggestion.

"Splendid." Jacob cheered and left with Edward.

On the way to the theatre, Jacob told Edward that he would be meeting twelve gentlemen, all of whom were human. There was no need to be bothered. Edward nodded and wondered for the first time just how many vampires were roaming the nighttime streets of Paris. It was an unsettling thought.

As they pulled up to the lobby doors, Edward could see that one was being held open for him by a dark haired woman wearing a stylish light pink dress covered in sequins and tulle.

"That's Bella's best friend, Alice." Jacob said. "She's been looking forward to meeting you."

Edward climbed down but put a hand on Jacob's black boot. "Is she a vampire?" His tone was hushed and quiet. Jacob grinned because clearly Edward still did not understand that whispering did no good at all.

"Don't worry." Jacob said as he gathered the reins. "We won't let her bite."

Edward ran nervous fingers through his hair and approached Alice with a polite nod.

"Good Evening. I am Edward Cullen."

"And I am Alice." _Blessed Mother of all saints that boy is divine._

Alice quickly assessed his natural beauty which was only enhanced by his sense of style.

It had only taken Bella six minutes after Edward's departure last evening for her to come running through the tunnel full of tweets and giggles. She replayed the night's events in breathy verse to Alice, happy to have someone to tell the story to. Once Edward had kissed her good night and returned home, the entire evening had taken on a dreamlike quality. Telling Alice about it made it all real again.

A glutton for details, Alice quizzed Bella shamelessly and developed a healthy admiration for Edward in all respects. Bella watched as Alice's excitement over Edward grew and she began to realize that the more she revealed, the more nervous she became.

She paused and surprised Alice by asking a favor.

"Please don't seduce him." Bella whispered.

Alice had been shocked by her request and did her best to convince Bella she had no such intentions. Seeing her breathtaking friend belittle herself in such a way was painful to Alice. Now that she was finally seeing Edward in the flesh, she better understood Bella's pleading. With his lean yet muscular frame, that unkempt bronze hair and piercing green eyes, there was not a woman on Earth (human or vampire) who wouldn't find this man desirable.

"Jacob tells me that you are Bella's best friend." Edward was still trying to work out whether or not she was a vampire. Jacob's joke was deliberately vague and the play on words was just the sort of thing that would keep Edward guessing all night.

"She was my first friend in Paris." Alice said, smartly. "And I love her to death." She flashed a smile as she spun and trotted toward the auditorium. Edward was convinced that her choice of words was also deliberate and, for the first time in hours, he found he was not queasy at the prospect of meeting superior musical artists. The mystery of Alice's identity took over his mind until he entered the main hall and his eyes found Bella.

She was sitting on the stage with her legs crossed at the ankles and dangling into the pit.

In that moment, Edward had a strange sensation. He felt both a wave of anxiety at the sight of the bustling activity below her feet and a wave of love and peace in her presence.

Bella smiled and waved him to the other side of the theatre where stairs led down to the pit floor. It was a large area in the shape of a half circle and covered in overlapping rugs almost exactly like Alice's apartment. This was unintentional as the musicians merely wanted a good soft place to stand and lay their instruments.

Alice just wanted a lot of rugs.

As Edward made his way towards her, he wanted nothing more than to embrace her and kiss her on the lips.

He met Bella at the head of the stairs and saw heads turn with stares. Edward had just enough time to get that sinking feeling when they broke into applause. He immediately assumed that they were clapping for Bella so he joined in but when he turned to face her she was clapping along with them. She stopped and handed him a piece of sheet music with his name on it.

Edward immediately recognized his lead line and looked up at Bella with surprise. "Did you transcribe this from memory?"

"Well, the melody, yes, but Jacob might have snooped through your papers once or twice." She paused and offered an evil little smile. "And a few days ago you were singing in your washroom, and he climbed up to your terrace to take notes."

Edward looked astonished. "Is that true?"

"It is." She said laughing and this time Alice and the listening musicians joined in.

Edward flipped through the pages and counted at least two tempo changes as well as some guitar and vocal additions. He was anxious to hear what Bella had done although his mind had already added the new elements and was feverishly nursing the changes.

"Just play it." She said removing the pages from his fingers. "Just play it and you'll see what we've done for you." He walked down into the pit and shook hands with the three horn players. One of them had a saxophone, a new and expensive instrument that Edward had only read about. The other two were holding trumpets but Edward saw a trombone lying on the rugs behind their wooden chairs.

He then walked to the piano and met Milo, a wiry bespectacled lad who looked to be Edward's age. Milo told him that the piano had been adjusted so that the sustain was wide open. He assured Edward, after a quizzical look, that Bella had ordered it for this song and that he would love the dreamy sound it made. Milo then gathered his music and began to walk away.

"What about you?" Edward asked him, anxious not to displace anyone.

"I'll be playing with Laurent. Come on, I'll introduce you." He led Edward through the string section consisting of two guitars, a cello, and a violin, making introductions all around and ended up in the middle of the pit facing Laurent's platform. Edward could see Alice's round face peering over the wall from the front row where he had stood last night and followed her gaze to the chunky piece of strings and wood sitting next to the large drummer. It was gold and had black moons painted on it.

"It that….?" He pointed to the scuffed wooden object next to Laurent.

"What's left of it." Bella said as Edward went over to run his hands along the scuffed gold paint.

Edward spun around and looked up at Bella who had deposited herself back onto the stage floor with her ankles drumming on the pit wall right above his head. He was tempted to reach up and massage her beautiful calf muscles. It felt like ages since he last touched her.

Laurent stood up and shook Edward's hand. "Nice to meet you Edward. I am Laurent, and this is my _beat harp. _It plays an important part in your new song, which I think is very good by the way. Milo here is going to be playing it for me as I will have my hands full." With that he twirled two white sticks in his deft fingers and brought them down in a cascade of sound onto the two massive cymbals.

Bella knew that her conductor was quieting the room so she could start the rehearsal on time and gave him a grateful smile. "Okay gentlemen, we will have three guests today not including Alice. You have been expecting Edward, but I also asked Beth and Julie down to sing those harmony thirds at the top of verse three."

As if on cue, Bella's lobby girls came skipping down the far aisle. They were both fifteen years old and could have been sisters. Bella hired many girls like this to take tickets and usher alongside Jacob. Last night she had employed them as dancers and tonight they were requested to lend their delicate voices to Edward's.

"Good evening, ladies." Bella raised her voice so that the girls heard her. "You'll be sitting next to Claude and Marty but come get your music from…me…" She trailed off and looked around her. "Where's my extra music?"

"I've got some down here." Laurent called up and Bella amended her statement as they passed in front of Alice in the front row.

"Go get your music from Laurent and look for your cue. It's the last word in the second chorus. Beth you stay a third above Edward and Julie you take an octave above that." Both girls nodded as they rounded the pit wall and started down the short flight of stairs. "Then as the song swells into verse three I want to hear a nice sweet blended tone from both of you. Alright?"

"Yes, Bella." They chimed together.

Alice and Bella exchanged glances. They were both very fond of these girls and wanted very much to see them succeed in life. Beth was a bit of a handful but Julie kept her in line. Or was it the other way around?

"For the rest of you," Bella continued, "we're going to play through Edward's song and then move on to a few things I found last night that I want to work on." Edward took the opportunity to introduce himself to the remaining musicians as the young ladies retrieved pages from their conductor and curtseyed to him as they passed. They sat stage left next to a clarinet player with a bushy gray beard and behind a bald headed man holding a flute. Having met everyone, Edward made his way back to the upright piano.

"Alright people! Watch Gus for the first tempo change and Laurent will cue the other. Try not to give Edward a heart attack and have fun with this one. Are there any questions before we begin?"

"I have a question." Came a voice from behind the cello as the man holding it stowed his bow in his case. "Why did Laurent start blowing you kisses last night?"

"Yeah….oh yeah…that's right…"Came several voices from below her.

Bella had noticed this last night and was glad that Laurent was the only one in the pit who could see her during a performance. Still it clearly caused a commotion.

Laurent who did not remember any such thing occurring told everyone to shut up and they did. He then looked at Edward and nodded - an invitation to begin.

Edward twisted his head up to see Bella and blew her a deliberate kiss before pressing his fingers to the keys.

The piano did indeed sustain as he played, and also brought a bright electric sound to the notes. Edward was mildly intrigued that none of the other musicians had readied themselves to play. They simply sat and watched him. He sang the first line with his eyes closed.

**I Rhyme_____ Whispered notions all the time_____ I can't believe them all___**

He then looked up at Laurent and Alice because that was only view the piano offered except for the music. Alice was beaming across the open space at Bella who was still sitting on the stage somewhere above and behind him. He turned his attention back to the keys and sang the second line:

**I climb_____ Smaller mountains in my mind_____ Still scared that I will fall__**

His nervousness was fading, swallowed by the song which gave him the freedom to feel. He relaxed his shoulders and then his hands. For the second time in a week, his voice filled the magnificent room.

**But when I find the courage and when I do believe_____**

**I know with you by my side there's nothing I-----_______ can't achieve______**

At this point the saxophone player stood up, played three notes and sat back down satisfactorily resting the horn in his lap. As he did so, the cello player began plucking his strings like a bass, upping the tempo of the song and ushering in verse two.

**I pray___ When I wake up every day___ Sometime's the answer's 'no'**

The pulsing bass line was joined by Laurent who hit a wedge shaped wooden block twice a measure and kicked at a wide low drum at his feet. It was still a ballad but Edward liked the urgency the song now adopted.

**I write__---** Seems like morning noon and night*--__ Songs, they come and go**

Edward allowed himself a flourish of throaty emotion and tenor splendor. Many of the musicians sat calmly, enjoying the serenade, but Edward noticed that Milo began bobbing his head slightly in double time, silently counting down to something. The guitar player also scooted his chair in a little and Laurent started slowly striking a small spotted animal skin drum with metal wires strapped down to it. The cello player layered in a final rich support line as Edward, bolstered by the heat rising in his cheeks, sang:

**But when I find the music I find it in everything_____**

**I know with you by my side there's nothing I-----_______ cannot sing_____**

Three things happened simultaneously when Edward held the last note. First, the young girls sang the word with him in crisp sweet voices that tickled the rafters and gave Edward goose bumps. Second, Laurent began striking a several different drums charging the tempo once again this time to a driving beat that made Edward's eyes widen at its audacity. Third, and finally, Milo took over the bass line by playing the beat harp eight notes to the bar!

Eight notes to the bar was a frenzy of music and Edward, who was dumbfounded and delighted, stopped playing altogether. He gawked at the platform as Laurent's precision strikes and Milo's frantic pace made him giddy. The salvaged and scavenged instrument did indeed sound a little like a bass as the staccato notes came streaming off of the long thick cables that vibrated into blurs.

The solo stretched around the first eight measures and then the cello came back in with short twin stabs of low frequency plucks. The guitar also came in at this time with flamenco style strumming that added a thrilling flavor and depth to the already busy tangle of sounds.

After the men settled into a meaty groove, Laurent smashed a huge cymbals hard and Milo let loose with a stream of improvisational playing that forced Edward to his feet in admiration. He walked over to watch as Milo peppered his fingers along the upside down contraption.

Edward was standing directly under the large brass umbrella when Laurent hit it again chasing him back to his piano bench. He couldn't sit down and honestly did not expect to be playing anymore. Laurent had risen the energy of the song to a level that left his elegant instrument far behind.

The song was already bursting at the seams when Laurent began cracking the cymbals at regular intervals and Edward knew that they were going to hand the ferocious and living thing back to him soon. It just wouldn't stop building and building and he was going to have to sing with all his might to match the intensity let alone be heard in the large hall. He hurried back over to the piano bench, climbed up onto it, took a deep deep….deep breath and sang with his thundering heart.

**I try___ To just be a stand up guy___ Sometimes I have to kneel**

He pushed all of his hopes and fears out in verse and his voice strained with emotion. His words echoed off the walls as he closed his eyes again and let the music take over. Somewhere to his left a tambourine began keeping the fevered time, and the faint but pure sound of the two girls droning in lovely descant tones got an approving look from Alice.

Bella was too busy wiping tears from her eyes.

She was watching her Edward come alive in song. It suited him so well that she could all too easily foresee a time when he was the reason the crowds would come to the Theatre. He held on to the gritty and wild feeling that was coursing through his veins.

**I stole___ Pieces of my soul___ The parts I couldn't feel___**

Edward was now clenching his fists in focused delirium as he growled his song out in a powerful and raspy meter. He took the opportunity to turn to Bella and sang the last chorus to her.

**But when I find I'm someone who's worthy of even me______**

She wiped her eyes and smiled as the song and her heart swelled.

**I know__ with you by my side__ there's nothing I can't be_________**

Edward delivered the last line with the power that the song demanded and the determination not to reveal how breathless he felt.

**I know__ with you by my side__ there's**_** nothing**_** I can't be___________________**

Edward, who had long ago stopped following along with the music sheet, assumed that the song would slow down as soon as he completed the last lyric. However, Laurent, Milo, and the two fellows playing stringed instruments showed no sign of stopping. They spent another eight measures pounding along while the guitar wrapped up a few loose ends and then they all played the last four notes together in a powerful and deliberate ending.

The silence that chased the last of the echoes away was broken by two sets of delicate hands clapping.

Bella and Alice started the ovation but were soon joined by the members of the orchestra. The saxophone player clapped until his horn began to escape his lap and the fellows who were not musically involved in the song whooped and cheered with enthusiasm. Edward was flush and floating on air. He had never sung with such emotion and had never heard a song with rhythm slowly introduced until the song itself became a freight train of dynamic power.

Edward sat on the wooden bench exhausted and exhilarated. It was then that he noticed Bella had named his song. He pulled the music from the piano and read the title...

_Lost and Found_

_

* * *

_

**Note:**

**I took the liberty of recording _Lost and Found _just as it was described in the chapter. You can find the link on my Author's page. And yes, that is me singing. I hope you enjoy it!**

**As always, Thank You for reading, reviewing and recommending.**

**MOG**


	8. Chapter 8: The Pendulum

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in the series.**

**Especially Bree.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**The Pendulum**

Edward felt like he had just made love to Bella all over again and was still heaving with raw emotion. One week ago he composed the lyrics and melody of the song, giving it body. This week Bella had found a way to provide it with a soul and together they created something completely unique…something they would share forever. Placing the sheet music back onto the piano he glanced over to her and caught her eye, desperate to learn if she realized this. Her hands were still clapping, celebrating everyone's efforts but her eyes were watching him. Bella's beautiful features displayed pride, love and awe. Edward whispered to her.

"I love you. Thank you."

Bella blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep from crying in front of her orchestra. She quickly composed herself and addressed the musicians.

"For a break in, that was superb, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to say that Milo - you have outdone yourself." Her accolade was punctuated by a cheer from the pit as the boy's fervor and talent was evident to all.

Milo turned so red at Miss Swan's compliment that Alice began to salivate. She was not as disciplined in resisting humans as her maker. Even more dangerous, Alice had nurtured a growing and incredible appetite for blood. It had taken Bella nearly two centuries to support a diet that Alice had acclimated to in less than a decade. Not that Milo was any safer in Bella's presence. Bella always found herself in a constant struggle to resist attacking the humans in her employ. It was nothing personal, merely instinct.

Laurent, who had been applauding with his sticks for maximum volume, freed a hand to slap Milo on the back. It shook his friend's frail frame and produced a hollow thud that could have competed with one of the drums. Everyone laughed at the sound except for Alice. Only Bella noticed her friend's discomfort. It appeared to her that Alice was struggling about whether or not to excuse herself from the group. It only took a few seconds but once Alice's face showed a more relaxed expression, Bella returned her attention to the rehearsal.

"Edward?" Bella addressed him personally but made no attempt to lower her voice. "I'm impressed. You dug deep and performed with wisdom and courage. Congratulations." The musicians clapped again. The last pairs of hands to cease their applause belonged to the lobby girls whose rapid fire twin slaps sounded like the Chinese fireworks brought in for special events in Paris or the surrounding palaces.

Bella wished that she was not in the middle of a rehearsal. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to join Edward at the piano. She wanted to sit next to him, her leg touching his. She wanted to wrap her arm around his waist, pull him close and rest her head onto his shoulder. She wanted to breathe in his scent and place her lips over his.

Instead there was pressing business to deal with.

"Now…since I have confirmed that I am in love with this man," Bella paused to blow a kiss to Edward, returning his affectionate gesture from earlier, "my vote doesn't count. So how many of you would like Edward to take over Milo's post so I can promote the skinny little ferret up the platform full time?"

Bella's question was not an impulsive one. Several days earlier, Laurent had made the suggestion when he saw how Milo took to the provocative instrument. Although Laurent himself was able to play it, he knew it would be impossible to maintain his duties as a conductor if his hands were occupied with the keys. On a whim, he asked Milo to try it out and found that the kid played it like lightning. With Milo established on the piece, Laurent found that he could not live without the immediate addition of the beat harp to the symphony's compliment.

His orchestra was suddenly in need of a new pianist.

Laurent had been pondering the situation out loud a few days earlier when Jacob, who was exploring the catwalks, overheard him. Jacob suggested that he should go to Bella and ask if she knew any piano players. He assured Laurent that if he told her he wanted to move Milo to percussion Bella would have no problem finding a gifted replacement. Jacob knew firsthand how well Edward played. That very morning he had visited Rosalie and Edward's music had provided a perfect backdrop as they chatted in the garden. Jacob insisted that Laurent pursue the matter with Bella, who, as he predicted, was delighted to hear of her conductor's predicament. They made plans for Edward to audition with his own song.

Milo and Edward looked at each other and then took turns staring at Bella and Laurent. The other musicians sent up a unanimous cheer. Bella, who could not keep little secrets, had told them all before Milo or Edward arrived.

Laurent adjusted the platform to temporarily accommodate the harp but immediately began chatting with Milo about engineering a permanent stand. Edward remained seated on the piano bench grateful for its presence and shook his head in disbelief. This had been quite a day and the gravity of its importance hit Edward profoundly. The evening before he had shared Bella's bed and now he had been awarded a position in her prestigious orchestra. Edward vowed never to forget this date – August 9th, 1891. A Sunday that began and ended with new experiences he hoped to repeat often.

"Alright, people." Bella said, taking charge of the group once more. "Now that we have a new piano player to break in and a new instrument for Milo to incorporate we need to run the show from the top." She looked over at Alice. "Since we have two of our dancers here, I want to clean up some steps. Do you need to leave or can you stay?"

"I can stay." Alice confirmed.

Bella looked down into the pit. "Is that alright with you, Beth and Julie?"

"Yes, Bella!" They chimed again.

The group worked intros and transitions for about ninety minutes and Bella instructed Edward to watch Laurent's sticks for pacing. They were painted white, she explained, so they could be seen from up onstage as well as by the musicians in the pit. Next, everyone spent another thirty minutes on pick-ups and key changes. Bella had many brilliant ways of making the time interesting and inclusive for everyone.

Always mindful of human tendencies, Bella wrapped up the rehearsal before everyone began to lose focus and excused the musicians one by one. She paid them in crisp banknotes and allowed everyone to address individual concerns face to face. It usually took about fifteen minutes before she was left alone with Laurent but tonight Alice and Edward stayed behind as well.

After assessing Alice's condition one last time, Bella asked them to wait for her in the theatre as she walked Laurent to the lobby door. Along the way she complimented his instincts while also cautioning him to keep tight control of his blossoming rhythm section. "Edward is still green and Milo is….enthusiastic." She said. "I'll have a word with Edward but I think he'll be ready by Saturday if he gets his chops up."

"He will." Laurent agreed. "He's just not used to playing for so long and he seems tired anyhow."

Bella touched Laurent's arm, but paused when she heard Edward say Jacob's name from the auditorium. She focused her attention on Edward's voice but lost him as the Paris street noise swept in through the open lobby door. Bella returned her focus to Laurent.

"Can you do something for Milo's back? He's bent over like a gargoyle playing that thing."

Laurent had already anticipated this query. "I'm coming back this week to….oh excuse me Alice. Good night to you….I'm coming back this week to fiddle with it and I think I have a good idea for a sideways approach…"

Bella was not listening. Instead, she was watching Alice who had passed between the two of them without a word as she sped out the door and travelled up the street to her dress shop.

"…like an accordion." Laurent finished weakly.

"Thank you Laurent. Well done. I'll see you later this week." Bella quickly gave him several folded bills which he stowed in a hat he donned for the walk home.

Bella remained by the door, trying to figure out what had just happened between Alice and Edward. Without thinking about it, she sniffed the air for the scent of blood but detected nothing.

After Bella and her conductor had begun walking out of the auditorium, Edward made his way out of the pit. As he passed by Alice, she placed a hand on his arm and stopped him in the aisle.

"You _seem_ wonderful." She looked into his eyes but Edward had trouble reading her expression.

"Thank you." Edward replied hesitantly.

"Bella says you…_know_." She posed her question as a statement.

"Yes." Edward said, instinctually looking toward Bella who was disappearing into the lobby.

Alice took his other arm and squared her shoulders to his. She made a point of looking him in the eyes as she asked, "Can we trust you?"

_We? _Edward thought. _Does that mean she's a vampire too? Jacob wasn't joking? _His response was just fast enough to be believable. "We who?"

She looked at him the same way Rosalie sometimes did when he wasn't catching on fast enough. "Bella, Jacob and I."

"Jacob!?!" Edward's voice rose up like a balloon.

"_Morte!_" Alice hissed. "Nothing."

She was embarrassed, which made her angry. She already fought the urge to feed on a musician earlier in the evening and now her temptations were focused on Bella's new love. Without another word, Alice turned from Edward and hurried out.

_Bella already heard what I did anyway, _she thought as Laurent called after her. She stalked up the street knowing that she would have to answer for her mistake and thinking all the way home. _If she trusts him so much, why shouldn't Jacob?_

Edward had not tricked her into exposing Jacob, but it wouldn't be long before Alice began to remember otherwise.

Edward found Alice's abrupt departure strange but he was also relieved. She was still a mystery to him and, despite the fact that she was a good friend of Bella's, he was having trouble feeling comfortable in her company. Setting aside his mistrust, he chose to think about the fact that, at long last, he was alone with Bella. As he made his way up the aisle and toward his love his smile was a combination; part mischievous grin and part blissful reminiscence.

When he appeared in the lobby Bella was holding the door open for him as well. His heart sank. He had anticipated an encore to his performance the night before and given the surprise Bella had provided him this evening, he was anxious to show his gratitude for her generosity.

"I don't get to stay?" He asked with eyes that were wide enough to reflect streetlight and wet enough to baptize a newborn.

"We're both going out." She answered immediately, melted by his pitiful assumption.

"Oh!" Edward sighed in relief. "The Tower again?" He asked, his voice full of hope.

"Certainly." Bella said ushering him outside and securing the door. "Unless you have some place else in mind."

Edward considered the offer halfheartedly remembering how much he had enjoyed their time on top of the world, but as he took her hand he was struck with inspiration. Bella's body responded with thrilling shivers as his gorgeous face lit up.

"Can we go to Notre Dame?"

* * *

Bella walked with Edward to a dark alley, the same alley in fact where she had regularly killed for nearly a decade and enveloped his mouth in hers. Bella felt like she was melting into love itself as Edward's warm breath steamed her eyes and boiled her tongue. She placed her hands on his waist and began to pet his hips as he pushed his body closer to hers, cupping her face in his burning hands.

Edward had needed this kiss all evening. It was proof that the night before had not been a fluke. Or a dream. As Bella snuck her cool tongue between his teeth he breathed deep through his nose savoring her scent and became delirious at the murmured touch of her hair in his hands and on his cheek. He shuddered as he let his breath out and they continued to feed on each other kisses. She eventually wrapped her arms tightly around him and took off into the cloudy night.

The air was warm and still as they raced above the Paris neighborhoods and even though there were plenty of people out at this hour no one looked up. No one ever looked up.

Notre Dame was sulking in the darkness as they approached and Bella hoped that the stained glass windows were still intact. She was relieved to see that they were. The massive cathedral was run down and neglected but it had not been vandalized since the acts of the French Revolution a hundred years before and it still held a beauty that would rob someone of speech.

Stone gargoyles glowered down at them as they touched the ground together and walked toward the ominous building. Some had wings and were baring their ominous fangs while others were forever posed in the throes of agony. Bella paused to study the silhouette of a huge dog shaped statue. The sculpture could have easily been depicting Jacob standing guard as a wolf.

Bella marched Edward through the middle of the three main entrances and into a great sanctuary with a vaulted ceiling that stretched forever into the inky shadows of the room. It was by far the biggest space Edward had ever been in and he had to crane his neck to admire it. Although he could not see all the way into the massive open space, he heard their whispers speed around the room only to return to them as an eerie rustling.

Edward walked down the immense aisle until he spotted the pipes on the back wall and sitting below wedge shape stained glass depictions of Gospel teachings. Edward approached the five _manuals_ hovering in the shadowed hall like giant toothy grins. He noticed with some surprise that there was no dust on the keyboards or the controls as he sat down and began pumping the pedals to engage the organ. The room was filled with breathy sighs as air began escaping from thousands of pipes.

Edward moved his hands timidly at first wincing at the tremendous sound that engulfed the room. He played a simple tune and made up a song about Bella flying him around Paris. He let the delicious echo fondle his voice as he offered it up to the flying buttresses. He said some tender things in that short little song and he called it _mon petit chou._

Bella stood next to Edward for a while with her hands on his shoulders but eventually moved toward the front pew and sat down to enjoy the private concert. Edward's song was sweet but haunting at the same time and she could see how much fun he was having with the once famed but now ignored instrument.

His serenade ended and, as he turned to locate his lover, Edward saw shapes moving in the sanctuary behind her. Even before he could react, Bella was on her feet and scanning the large room in silence, all the while backing up until she was standing directly in front of Edward.

"Don't worry, love." Bella spoke in an urgent but hushed tone. "I can take care of this."

"I beg to disagree." A strange voice uttered, its owner stalking down the center aisle with two accomplices trailing behind. He spoke in a sing-song voice with a heavy Italian accent.

They were all dressed in very fine clothes accented with lace and gold leafing but the garments were filthy and smelled worse than the men they stubbornly clung to. All of them had hair that looked like Jacob's, long and straight.

Bella growled low in the back of her throat and commanded the men to stop where they were with an intimidating bellow.

They ignored her, the distance between them rapidly decreasing.

"You two have attracted some unwanted attention." The silky voice remarked.

"Then why don't you direct your attention elsewhere." Edward said, brave behind his vampire protector.

_These men don't stand a chance. _He testified to himself but the air quickly filled with tension and Edward found his body beginning to betray the calm he was trying to hold on to. As soon as his words were spoken, the three men stopped, Edward noted they were only ten feet away. He watched as the leader's face contorted into an expression of rage, the intensity of which he had not seen since the night Bella had awoken him in his bed.

"Silence human!" His voice shook the walls with its force.

"I will not be spoken to by you!"

Edward's knees weakened in the wake of the shouted insult and he was deeply shaken.

His mind writhed. _They're vampires_? _This changes everything! Bella is strong, but against three? How can we survive? Do they know Bella is one of them? _He looked at his would be savior and saw that she was indeed surprised by the outburst. Bella's face dropped its human façade, her eyes glaring at the three men with barely controlled anger and ferocity.

Edward did not know if vampires had any rules against killing each other but hoped that once they understood she was one of them, they would back down. As Edward realized he knew little of how the vampire world operated, his fears for Bella's safety mounted. He only knew he was helpless to protect her and he felt sick at the thought of anything causing her harm. He began considering how to free her from this danger and quickly determined that all he could do was try to bargain for Bella's release. If he was a temptation for them, he would sacrifice himself. Edward's only request would be for a few moments to tell Bella that she had given him the best life he could have hoped for. He would also tell her how much he loved her.

The three strangers looked at him with focused distain and he could feel the punch of their stares even in the dark. It was out of fright that he allowed Bella to make the next move.

And she did.

It happened so fast that Edward thought for a moment she had vanished. In the next second, he found her standing directly in front of the leader with both hands tightly gripping his mane of dirty hair and bending him forward at the waist in a deep bow.

"You're so strong!" He sounded terrified as he spoke to Bella's shoes. Edward instantly felt sorry for him.

"I am." Bella said menacingly as she eyed each of the other villains daring them to move. "And you are rude." She swung him by the hair into the bigger of his two accomplices. The second man doubled over, allowing Bella access to his own filthy locks. In a matter of a few seconds, Bella had total control over two of the three men.

Edward watched in horrified fascination as, without a word, she began to repeatedly slam the two vampires against each other. Her movements were not unlike one of those wind-up monkeys banging cymbals together with ferocious glee. The force of each blow sent thick mushy sounds echoing through the room along with her soft animal grunts brought on by either effort or approval. It took only five hits before they were both scalped and cart wheeling down the aisle, broken and bloody. Bella threw the dripping scalps after them and turned to face the last vampire but he had disappeared.

As Bella began the attack, the third man tried desperately to fathom the unexpected turn of events but was delighted to see that she left her human unattended and capitalized on her weakness. In the next instant, she heard the wind escape from Edward's lungs.

Bella turned to see the remaining foe was now behind her, choking the life out of her love.

"If you touch me, he dies." The remaining vampire was blonde and spoke in a kind of smooth panic as he backed further away, pulling Edward with him. Either way, he would ring this chicken's neck. After what she had done to his brothers, it seemed only fair. Risking a quick glance their way, he was not even sure they could heal from such devastating injuries.

Bella screamed in a tortured and quivering voice that contradicted her strength as she stalked toward the grappled men. "If you don't let him go by the time I get there you will get the same! And you're hurting him!" He was holding Edward off the ground by his throat with one hand, and pinning his wrists primly in front of him with the other. Edward was wide eyed but still and silent in his suffering.

Bella was getting ready to lunge at him. He was already killing Edward and she had to do something but then, in the darkness behind them, she saw yet another man appear. He had curly blonde hair shading cool eyes. Eyes that were focused directly on the assailant's back. In the same instant, Bella also saw the blue black color of metal flash through the air.

The vampire holding Edward suddenly gasped and dropped his prey in favor of his own throat as a sickle sliced through it from back to front. His body dropped to the dusty stone floor revealing the man in a long black wool coat and high boots that looked polished even in the darkness. He kicked the head so hard that it landed in the back of the pews, making a hollow 'bonking' sound as it bounced along the wooden benches.

The man then quickly trotted, past Edward and then Bella, down the aisle to investigate the other two vampires who were moaning slightly and stirring slightly less. Bella took the opportunity to rejoin Edward.

"You come to my house and treat my guests like this, Aro?" He whispered at the now bald and bleeding victim. "You made the mistake a lot of old vampires make; you thought that you were the oldest."

The blades the new blonde man held in each hand were rounded so that they curled back behind his knuckles and when he punched with them they severed anything in their path. Aro was now in his path and tried to get his hand up to block the blade. As it came pounding down at him, the broken bones in Aro's arms merely grinded together, refusing to move. He died at the hands of his once trusted friend.

The man, who now had two dripping sickles at his sides, then turned to the other mangled vampire on the floor and heard a low voice.

"We didn't mean any harm. He was just a human." The pulped vampire pleaded.

"Well, Marcus." He had always hated Marcus. "That would have made him MY human wouldn't it?" He bent down and bit savagely into the elder vampire's throat and drained him of his powerful blood in just under a minute.

Bella and Edward were in each other's arms thankful to be together again. She held him close trying to prevent him from witnessing the carnage which was a constant occurrence in her world. As much as she wanted to admit it was for Edward's protection, she knew she was also acting selfishly. She was trying not to expose him to anything which would keep him from reconsidering his mortality.

Bella was listening to the conversation taking place between the two men and was certain she knew what the blonde one did next. She grimaced as she realized that even Edward would be able to hear the racket he made while feeding. Bella was shocked and repulsed at the idea of draining a fellow vampire but was unwilling to confront him about his actions. Although it appeared he had just saved Edward's life, she was still unsure if he would suddenly turn on them.

Bella held Edward securely against her while she watched the man in black boots, unwilling to wipe his mouth on his preys' disgusting clothing, rise up with dribbles on his chin. He used his palm to wipe them away as he turned to approach the couple.

Bella growled in warning, startling Edward and the remaining stranger.

"I'm sorry about that." He said earnestly.

"They were friends of yours?" Bella asked. Her steely tone indicated she wanted nothing but the truth.

"A long time ago, maybe. They were just passing through for the night when they heard Edward's playing."

Bella froze and Edward took advantage of her shock to pull away from the tight embrace. Now he also faced the blonde man. "How do you know my name?" He was uneasy and he did nothing to hide his discomfort.

"You know me, Edward." He laughed in an attempt to be reassuring. "I'm Dr. Whitlock. I play bluff with your father."

Although, Bella would only risk looking at Edward from the corner of her eye, her enhanced vision detected Edward's sense of relief upon the revelation.

"Jasper?" Edward was beyond surprised. "Uh…I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."

The blonde vampire softly laughed again. "I don't blame you. It's dark in here. Even for us. Speaking of us," he turned toward Bella. "My name, as you may have heard, is Dr. Jasper Whitlock. I have seen your show many times Miss Swan, so there is no need for you to introduce yourself."

In another setting Jasper would have informed Miss Swan that he was indeed an admirer of her talents and could have discussed opera with her for ages to come, but now was not the time. "Can I assume that since you are cavorting with Edward Cullen that he can be trusted with our private matters?"

"You can ask me that Jasper." Edward said. "I would never betray you. Especially when you have just saved our lives."

"I could have stopped him." Bella said mostly to the floor. Her statement pierced Edward's heart. He had spoken foolishly once again. He turned to Bella and placed his hands on her cheeks to pull her face away from the floor.

"I know, and you would have." He soothed, his expression burning into her captivating honey colored eyes. "You would have flown up and grabbed me and then we would've hovered out of reach while I threw prayer books at him." Edward, who was feeling lightheaded, was attempting to remain lighthearted.

"You can fly?" Jasper asked with utter fascination.

Bella met his gaze and replied without missing a beat. "You drink your friend's blood?"

Silence stole over the immense church while the two vampires regarded each other.

_That's disgusting, _Edward thought.

"I think we all need to have a seat and talk." Edward said as he led Bella by the hand to the front pew. Truthfully, Edward wanted to leave the gory scene in the glorious cathedral behind but he also knew that if he was going to be any part of Bella's world he was going to have to understand as much about it as he could. Jasper joined the couple over at the pew but did not sit down.

Jasper then told the two new lovers his story like he was a minister delivering a sermon, and the sight of him stalking up and down in front of the alter completed the picture. He told them that he had been born in Philadelphia in 1707 and was studying medicine when he was abducted and changed by a woman named Victoria. She had kept half a dozen men locked on her vast property outside the city and referred to them as her ponies.

Jasper had only been allowed out to feed under the supervision of more trusted and powerful ponies. When he was brought back to Victoria's estate she would feast on his vampire blood, leaving Jasper so weak that when she cast him aside he would lay in a heap until one of his brothers came to collect him from her chambers.

He described in great detail a necklace Victoria had. It was a simple linked chain and at its end sat a tiny half moon blade, a miniature pendulum.

She had used it to cut Jasper on the inner thigh as she preferred to feed there. Jasper chose not to share this detail with Bella and Edward.

For nearly fifty years he was locked in servitude but learned much about the vampire species and used his time to continue his studies of medicine. When the Revolutionary War flared up in 1775, it provided Jasper the perfect backdrop for his escape. Philadelphia had grown enough over the last century that Victoria's home was no longer on the outskirts of town. Not only was it the government seat for the country, it was now the center of the resistance.

"After all those years of torture and humiliation the solution was simple." He told them. "One morning Victoria was sleeping, having fed on someone else that night, and as I passed by her chambers to my own room it occurred to me that we were only separated from the bright dawn sun by a brick wall." He paused to shrug his shoulders. "I just picked her up and threw her through it before she could wake up."

As he and everyone else on the plantation could hear her shrieks as Victoria roasted on the grass, Jasper turned and ran for the door. He had still been burned, however, and he described the white hot pain he briefly experienced as sunlight poured into the room through the Victoria sized hole in the wall. To authenticate his story, he showed Bella and Edward the shiny scars on his back.

"I dived out of the sunlight just in time I think, but Victoria didn't even have the chance to stand up." He said solemnly, "It works fast and since no one saw what happened I stood around with the rest of them that night looking at her charred body. We stuck together in that house for a while but I wanted something else."

By the Battle of the Clouds in September of 1777, Jasper had lived as a free man for well over a year but felt incomplete. After the Paoli Massacre he decided to actively participate in the war effort but could not join the American Army officially. It would have been impossible to keep hidden during the day.

"I started raiding British camps at night." He explained. "I did what I could to help us win the war and I was shot with musket balls hundreds of times. Do you want to see?"

Jasper smartly turned, walking behind the altar and through a door in the back of the cathedral. Edward noticed that he did not look back to see if they were following him. The sacristy was a square room about fifteen feet wide and Jasper had three of the four walls covered with shelves to the ceiling. Each wooden plank held fascinating trinkets from the Americas. Edward also identified an assortment of evil looking medical tools along with hundreds of indescribable items he kept crowded together in jars of murky liquid.

Jasper showed them a wooden bucket filled with pellets that looked like tiny round balls of coal. "I had to pull each one of these out of me at some point." He said proudly as he moved to pick up a primitive surgical tool. "And this belonged to my father."

"When did you move to Paris?" Bella asked.

"I came over almost a hundred years ago in the 1790's. I just wanted to see the ancient world. I toured the foggy continent for a while, took a few laps around the Mediterranean and even lived on the North coast of Africa but I eventually settled in Paris because of the night life."

"Do you only drink blood from other vampires?" Edward asked.

"No." Jasper said simply, "but I don't like the God complexes I see in many of them, and I know how powerful their blood can be so I usually hunt down one or two of the worse offenders a week just to keep the population under control."

Edward's eyes shifted to Bella, remembering a question he had asked himself earlier that evening. "How many vampires are there?"

She opened her mouth to tell him she had no idea when Jasper interjected. "I estimate world human population to be one and a half billion with the vampire population hovering somewhere around six thousand."

As Edward pondered this, he calculated. "That will mean human extinction by the end of the next century!"

"1988 by my math." Jasper agreed nodding his head at Edward's keen observation. "Of course, that's assuming both populations grow at the same rate. If there is a surge in one or the other, I will have to make adjustments."

Bella spoke very quietly but urgently. "We can't allow that to happen, Jasper."

Jasper smiled wide. "I was hoping you would say that." He took a delicate embroidered piece of cloth from an inside jacket pocket and began peeling back layers unwrapping something. "I was hoping to approach you after a show next month and explain my discovery but luck brought you to my home."

"Edward brought me to your home." Bella said, while taking his hand. Edward's fingers locked onto Bella's hand, indicating she would not be allowed to leave his side anytime soon.

Like a magician, Jasper pulled a chain out of the handkerchief revealing what appeared to Bella like a tiny axe head dangling on separate jump rings.

"I want you to have this Bella. It is a very powerful tool and will assist you greatly if you really want to help me."

"Is that the pendulum?" She immediately recognized it from Jasper's description and knew it could be nothing else.

"Yes." He said as he handed it to her. "It will show you where vampires are."

Bella smiled gracefully but said with a hint of amusement, "Jasper, I'm almost 400 years old. I know a vampire when I see one."

"True." Jasper nodded. Bella felt vindicated until Jasper finished his thought.

"This will help you with the vampires you don't see." The value of the gift he was offering was suddenly clear and was too much for Bella to accept.

"Don't you need it?" She held it back out to him.

Jasper chuckled. "I have many ways of sensing vampires now. You will too when you use this enough. It reveals many traits of our kind and soon it will seem all too obvious to you when they're about."

Bella found her opinion of Jasper quickly changing. If she was being honest, he was the only vampire she found herself trusting besides Alice. Jasper was charming, intelligent and exuded a calming influence over her. He was also full of useful information.

"How does it work?" She asked.

"Hold it out." Jasper instructed. "It will point to the vampire in the room."

Bella held out the shiny silver pendulum and looked down at it. She could see a notch on one end and watched as it rotated and stopped on Jasper. "If there are no other vampires around it will do nothing." He explained. "If there is one, it will point to him, and if there are more than it will spin. The faster it spins, the more vampires there are."

"Why didn't it spin then?" Edward asked.

"It doesn't react to the vampire who possesses it." Jasper nodded to Edward. "Take it and do the same thing Bella did."

Bella handed Edward the chain and he held it loosely in his fingers. Immediately, it began to spin in lazy circles. When Edward handed it back to Bella, he watched carefully as the spinning ceased abruptly and the blade once again settled in Jasper's direction. Bella put on the necklace and Edward thought that it looked like a silver raindrop against her porcelain skin.

"Thank you." Bella said, touched by Jasper's generosity. "I usually don't get along with other vampires and this is….very unexpected."

"Why is that? If you don't mind my asking." Jasper found Bella to be engaging and she was already the most famous vampire in the whole city. He was very interested in learning why she wasn't more social with her own kind. Specifically, he wondered if there was a particular reason she continued a reclusive existence.

"Vampires are just leeches." She spat. "Draining all the good from the world. They don't understand that it is humans who have invented all these new luxuries we have now or that it is humans who move the art world forward. Look at the way they treated Edward. They want humans only for food. I thought I was the only one who really cared about them as a species. That I was the only one who believed they offered something beyond…necessities."

Edward listened intently as Bella explained her feelings to Jasper, noting that she was not doing much to convince him to join the immortal world. _What must she think of herself? What will she think of me if I do become a vampire?_

"I knew you were different Bella," Jasper said, "but I haven't revealed myself until now because I wasn't sure how to make my introductions."

Bella laughed heartily, as did Edward. Bella released Edward's hand and approached Jasper.

"I think you made a pretty good impression." She said as she touched his arm. Bella thanked him for saving Edward's life, her eyes only inches from his when she said those words. Then she took Jasper into an embrace, holding his lovely soul for a moment.

When they parted Jasper's eyes were wet and he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, it's been a long time since anyone has shown me affection."

Upon hearing this, Edward walked up and gave him a hug too.

Jasper was moved by the trusting gesture and returned the hug with vigor. He remembered something and took this moment to ask Edward a question.

"Are you and your friend Jacob going to play bluff this week with us?"

Before Edward could answer, Bella asked Jasper how he knew Jacob.

"Oh, I met him when he brought young Master Cullen here into the hospital for treatment of his dislocated shoulder." He replied.

The memory shamed Bella but before she could do so much as dip her chin, Edward was there to put a hand on the delicate curve of her jaw and bring her lips to his. Their connection, though brief, sent waves of love and pleasure though them both.

"You saved me Bella. Never forget that." Edward whispered against her lips. Bella felt at peace by his gentle voice.

It was clear they had momentarily forgotten they were in the presence of another. Jasper had other questions and decided to move the conversation forward.

"I don't mean to interrupt," he began timidly, "but I was wondering if you could tell me what Jacob is?"

Edward turned his attention toward Jasper. "Good luck. I haven't gotten either of them to talk."

Bella confirmed this by saying, "He's right. I can't tell you anything about Jacob."

"So he's your friend as well then?" Jasper asked, attempting another tactic.

"My closest friend." She supplied unapologetic to the fact. Edward thought maybe he should have felt disturbed by this statement but he was not. While he did not understand who Jacob really was, he knew that Jacob would do anything to keep Bella safe. From what he had learned about Bella at the Eiffel Tower, he knew that she and Jacob had a long history and he obviously could protect Bella in ways Edward would never be able to.

"What if I told you that I already know he's immortal?" Jasper tried once more.

"What makes you say that?" she asked genuinely curious as to his ability to spot supernatural beings.

"Like I said, there are many ways to spot vampires and, even though he isn't one, he carries himself like someone who has seen a hundred summers."

"He has," Bella confirmed, "but I can't tell you any more. That will be up to him." She braced herself for another attempt for him to undo her secrets, but Jasper did not prod any further.

"Well maybe I'll get my chance this Tuesday." He turned back to Edward, "If you two are joining us that is."

Bella was happy to see that her rebuff had not dampened Jasper's spirits.

"We are." Edward said. "My father mentioned it to me the other day but didn't say when. I know I don't have any conflicts and I'm sure Bella won't need Jacob that night." He turned to her with hopeful eyes.

"He's all yours." She told them.

"So he works for you as well?" Jasper asked, happy to glean more information without having to ask for it. "I wonder why I haven't seen him before?"

"Jacob has many responsibilities at the theatre. He likes to stay busy during performances," she explained. "He doesn't like the high notes." Bella cursed at herself inwardly as she immediately regretted her joke. She realized her comfort around Jasper was causing her to reveal one clue after another about Jacob's identity to this obviously bright man.

Once again, Jasper turned his attention back to Edward. He acted as though her revelations meant nothing to him but it was impossible to dismiss that he kept asking pointed questions of them both.

"Are you going to become a vampire as well?"

Edward, still registering minor tremors in his body due to the adrenaline from his encounter with the three vampires, merely said, "I'm considering it."

The encouraging answer almost made Bella's heart start beating again out of sheer joy. She squeezed his hand as she gazed around the candlelit room. Edward had a question of his own for Jasper and found this was the right moment to ask it.

"So…How powerful does their blood make you?" Edward asked nervously, knowing that Jasper's answer possibly held the key to his future.

"I was turned in 1727 when I was twenty, so that makes me one hundred and sixty four years old." Jasper looked at Bella. "About half your age I'd guess."

She was impressed. "Less than half actually."

Jasper held his hand palm out toward her. "Place your hand on mine." He instructed Bella.

She did as he asked and he began pushing against her. She immediately had to adjust her feet and square her shoulders to keep her balance but Jasper kept pushing, his strength increasing with each second. Bella struggled to keep up with him but managed to push his hand all the way to his chest after a redoubled effort.

"I'm not as strong as you yet but, as you can see, I am very close." Jasper smiled, happy with his performance. He didn't expect to hold his own against her even that long.

"So I guess it was a good thing that your friends showed up and attacked us." Bella observed. "It looks like you received some powerful blood just now."

"I did." Jasper could feel the tingling sensation as his body continued to react to the rich sustenance. "Aro, Marcus and Caius were acquaintances from a long time ago but, to be honest, I invited them here tonight so I could kill them."

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews of Chapter Seven and the song contained therein. **

**To answer many individual questions - Yes, I have written more music for Bella Voce including **_**mon petit chou**_**, and I hope to record it all soon.**

_**Mon Petit Chou **_**means "My Little Cabbage."**


	9. Chapter 9: A Game of Chance

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns all four Twilight novels.**

**Morgan Locklear owns all four seasons of Robot Chicken**

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**A Game of Chance**

Bella could feel the difference in Edward's body as she flew him home in a tight sweeping embrace. He was shaking slightly despite the warm, muggy evening. She had seen a lot of violence in her life but, even by a vampire's standards, the events at Notre Dame had been graphic. Although they had spoken with Jasper for over an hour, the adrenaline was still coursing through his human veins. His elevated state of fear was soon going to be a problem for Bella. The showdown had also sharpened her senses and, as Edward nuzzled her, she could imagine all too easily what she would do if she pressed her lips to his neck.

As she fought to maintain control against her truest desires, Bella increased her speed and wondered if she might have to drop her love in the river to break the maddening contact with him. Unaware of Bella's struggle and intent on seeking a distraction for himself, Edward's hands grabbed her firmly on the bottom and began kneading the soft tissue there. Much to Bella's relief, his massage diverted her attention from her hunger. He was soon driving her wild with a different kind of desire and, although they were two sides of the same deadly coin, it bought them both some time.

They landed on his terrace silently and Edward reluctantly removed himself from her embrace. He opened the door to his bedroom and entered, leaving Bella standing outside.

"Please come in, Bella," he said while lighting a lantern next to his bed.

She had only moments before she would lose control and attack Edward. One way or the other. "I can't my sweet," she said remorsefully.

Edward turned with sadness in his eyes but they quickly registered a spark of understanding. "Are you alright?"

"I'm wonderful," Bella said convincingly despite her weak smile. "But I can't stay. I will see you soon."

"Please. Just sit with me for another minute." Edward sat down on the bed, his tempting body calling to her. "I need a goodnight kiss."

Bella, having already held her breath to mute his scent, was now listening to songs in her head in an attempt to drown out the volcanic rush of his blood that plagued her with its incessant blaring. She had not been this tempted to attack since the night they met – the night she intended on feeding on him after her performance. His plea effectively destroyed her willpower.

With deliberate slowness, Bella walked into Edward's room until she stood in front of him. She looked down into his green eyes which were now wild with desire and wondered if he was misinterpreting her own blazing intensity. It took every ounce of her concentration to fight against the urge to take him. He spread his knees so she could stand between his legs and, as she carefully bent down to kiss his juicy lips, he surprised her by pulling her down on top of him and kissing her wildly.

Bella did not fight him, allowing herself to be pulled close. Within seconds, however, she regretted it. His tongue eagerly caressed hers and the feel of his hard body beneath her only intensified her fantasies of the blood coursing throughout him. Bella found herself pulling back from the kiss, trailing her open mouth along the side of his neck. As Edward's hold tightened, keeping her close in response to her explorations, she began to search for a tender spot to bite.

"No!" she shouted, pushing herself away from him. The force of her shove made Edward bounce on the bed as she sprang backwards all the way to his balcony door.

"I'm sorry Bella…" Edward began.

She told him not to apologize but she was already out the door and over the railing before she got the sentence out. He ran out onto the terrace but never caught sight of her on the ground or in the air. Edward had pushed his luck and now he did not get to tell Bella goodnight.

It was a flat note on an otherwise symphonic day.

Running his fingers nervously through his hair, he considered the reason for her sudden departure and blamed himself for pushing her to her limits. Bella had wanted to leave in order to protect him and he had selfishly begged her to stay. He turned and reentered his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Edward proceeded to undress, placing his clothes and undergarments in a wooden bin. He was slightly sweaty from the humid air and his recent excitement, so he padded into the washroom and used a cloth and the basin of tepid water to bathe.

He started from the top of his head and worked his way downward, pushing all the grime onto the slightly tilted stone floor. As he soaked his hair rivulets streaked down his chest and back and the sound of the water searching for the small drain under the basin was hypnotic. Edward wondered, not for the first time, what he had gotten himself into.

He was now in love with, and had made love to, a frighteningly strong and ruthless killing machine. He had met at least five other such creatures that evening and still did not know what Jacob was or how much information his sister had about any of it.

He scrubbed his face and chest and then moved the wash rag down each arm. Edward thought about the few times that Jasper had been to the Cullen home to play cards with his father, somehow able to interact with humans better than Bella. Even more amazing was that he had seen Dr. Whitlock at the hospital.

_What else is he hiding?_

Edward finished washing himself, purposefully but not indulgently, and crawled in between the cool white sheets. His whole world had changed in a week and he felt as though he had been waiting for it his entire life. That told him something important.

It told him that he was destined to be something great.

The only thing Edward needed to figure out was whether that greatness was meant for his human existence or a new life as a vampire.

* * *

"Bella! I'm glad you're here."

Jacob was in the theatre shutting things down for the night when Bella returned from her evening at Notre Dame. On her way to the theatre she had fed on a solitary figure with the unfortunate luck of being in the path of a horny, hungry vampire.

"I was thinking about your flying and I believe that what you're doing is something closer to defying gravity."

Bella could tell that Jacob had probably spent his time thinking about the subject since ending his evening with Rosalie. His eyes were kitten wide with the kind of excitement only a new scientific theory could illicit in him and so she let him continue despite the sobering and sudden information she planned on sharing.

Bella thought to herself as she stared at Jacob up onstage. He had obviously been up to his apartment to change clothes because his feet were bare and he had traded his usually dark ware for the cream cotton pants and shirt he favored when he was in for the night. Taking in the state of his excitement, she hurried to sit in an aisle seat near the back of the room. Now that he had been pontificating for a while, he would no doubt treat her to a monologue of worth.

"Flight," he began, "involves some kind of thrust and then sustained energy to maintain." Jacob allowed a significant but not substantial pause for the premise of his dissertation to be digested before he continued. "You just point your chin like a pigeon and off you go." Knowing his audience always enjoyed a bit of flair, especially if he had just referred to said audience as a pigeon, Jacob spun on his heel three hundred sixty degrees with his arms out.

He was treated to the sound of Bella clearing her throat.

"Since you don't spring into the air and flap your arms, we can assume that you aren't using strength to fly but something….metabolic. Somehow you are changing your body on a molecular level to the point where gravity no longer affects your mass."

Bella did not like being called a mass any more than she enjoyed being compared to a pigeon but did not interrupt. Jacob had paced over to stage right, close to where Jane sat to pull the curtains and above the stairs to the pit. His hair, usually straight with weight, was swirled up in patches.

"You have complete control over it and you have found a trigger that works for you, but I think it is purely mental. You should be able to hover even from your seated position without moving a muscle." She wasn't sure if he was inviting her to attempt it or not until he pressed on. "I've considered the possibility that you change the air around you but, frankly, find that unlikely. And let me ask you this - when you fly with Edward do you feel like you are carrying his weight or does he kind of float with you?"

"Well," Bella was suddenly embarrassed. She had not detailed the spinning and kissing method of travel she employed and had not, by design, really thought about anything else. "I'm not sure. Hold on."

She stood up and with a tiny nudge of her chin she was up and gliding toward him and onto the stage. "Why don't we try it." She landed and held out both hands.

Jacob surprised them both by stepping back. "I don't think so. No, thank you," he said hastily.

"What?" Bella's mouth formed a perfect "O" – the expression of someone about to make fun of someone else. "You're scared of flying?"

Jacob's booming laugh made the chandeliers jingle. "No! I'm scared of having my metabolism messed with."

Bella rolled her eyes and popped off the ground. She floated over to him and held out both hands again. "Edward did it. He's done it several times," she said as her eyes brightened. "And besides, it won't transfer to you. I'm sure of it."

Having never been misled by Bella in all their years of friendship, Jacob reached out and took her hands before asking, "How do you know?"

"When Edward fell through the stage and I caught him, he hurt his shoulder," she said with a simple smile. "If I could pass it on to him, Edward wouldn't have been injured." Bella rose into the air but Jacob's feet remained on the stage. When she sensed his trust in her was firm, she stretched his arms above his head and then took him up a foot off the black painted wooden floor. He dangled there like a kid in a tree. "Do you feel any different?" she asked.

"Not a bit…and you're so…" Jacob wiggled his fingers in her small hands. "Solid."

Bella giggled. "Did you think I would turn into a ghost?"

"If by that you mean had I considered the possibility that you would lose physical cohesion as a side effect of the metabolic transformation during flight? Yes, I did. A little." Jacob let go and marveled at his friend as she floated above his head. His evening's question had been answered with her simple experiment. Now, he allowed his mind to travel freely to the next big idea.

He was about to go off on another tangent so Bella stopped him with the touch of both hands on his shoulders, dropping to the stage floor in front of him. "I have something I need to tell you about, Jacob."

Jacob knew that tone. It was not Bella the Boss, or Bella the Vampire, or even Bella the Brat. It was Bella the Friend - who knew him better than anyone and whom he trusted beyond all others. He had not heard that tone from her in years and his first feeling was one of suspicion.

He tried to imagine what she was softening him up for. "Would you like to come up for tea?"

Even though the serving of tea to Bella was merely a gesture, he offered it on occasions when they both knew a lengthy conversation would be underway. The warmth of a tea cup in her hands always seemed to put her at ease. Sometimes she would even hold the tea cup against her temple.

"Yes. That sounds wonderful," Bella said and led the way.

Jacob lived on the top floor of the theatre. A small door next to the light booth opened to a narrow staircase that went up to a locked red door. Inside, Jacob's apartment was eight feet tall at its center and sloped down to meet short walls on either side. One end of the room had two wardrobes divided by the stairs and the other end held the only window, a large square pane that faced the Seine River and the occasionally lit Eiffel Tower.

Work tables lined the sides of the room where the ceiling sloped and Bella could see that Jacob had rubbed the wood shiny on the ceiling with his head from the hours he had spent bent over, working on any number of projects.

_That explains his hair, _Bella thought, unable to stifle a smile.

She had not been up to his place in over a year, knowing that Jacob himself only came up to be alone. He had spent an untold amount of time in his space fiddling with invented contraptions or pouring over his ever growing map collection.

Bella was instantly reminded of Jasper when she saw Jacob had similar gadgets and gears strewn over the two pockmarked wide wooden surfaces. Thankfully, he didn't have glass jars filled with suspicious liquids and pink coils like the random containers she saw at the cathedral. The room's belongings were not entirely innocent however. As she glanced over to one of the two wardrobes in Jacob's apartment she remembered, all too well, that the piece of furniture was not as it appeared.

It held a sinister secret.

Jacob had his stove next to the window and the small round stove pipe plunged through the wall to the right of the window like an apostrophe. He ladled water from a half full bucket that sat on a clean and sturdy looking cherry wood table and into an ancient looking teapot. Then he checked the already glowing fire and met Bella in the center of the room where a circular stone bench wreathed a potted fig tree.

"I'm sorry I don't invite you up more often," Jacob said as he sat down facing the stove and window.

Bella turned and was facing a nest of parchments. They were backlit by a lantern Jacob had mounted in the tiny vertical space between the sloping roof and the table built against the wall. "It's too small in here," she replied, thoughtfully. "Let me build you a proper apartment."

He turned to her patiently, a small smirk on his face and said, "That is why I don't invite you more often."

He smiled warmly at her and then scooted closer, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Now, what is you really wanted to talk about?"

Without hesitation or fear Bella told Jacob the whole story of her evening with Edward at Notre Dame. As she spoke, Bella tucked herself neatly into the crook of his arm and spared herself the sight of his darkening face. He never interrupted her once and even rose calmly from his seat to pour their tea when she began to explain to him about the pendulum. Jacob did not even react to the new and unusual item when Bella absently brought it out from beneath the collar of her summer dress to play with it while she spoke.

Had they been human, silence would have filled the air. For these two, however, there was an orchestra of sounds peppering the room. The fire smoldering in the stove, the ticking of the metal teapot as it cooled, the spider in the corner investigating the tremor in her web. Through it all Jacob sat and listened with an expression Bella could not pinpoint. It appeared to her to be anger mixed with revulsion or perhaps fear mingled with confusion. It was much more poignant than that for Jacob.

"You could have been killed," he said finally, shamed by his absence during such turmoil.

"Edward could have been killed," Bella reminded him. "I was just having fun."

Not wanting Bella to see his emerging irritation, Jacob turned his attention to the fig tree for a long moment. He pulled a dead leaf from a branch and crushed it in his fist.

"It was dangerous and I'm glad you met Jasper." Jacob owed the doctor a handshake. "I met him you know."

"I know," she informed him. "He said to make sure you went to the Cullen house to play bluff on Tuesday."

Jacob nodded. "Dr. Cullen already cornered me after the show last night when I took them home. It should be fun although I'm no good at games."

"You'll be fine. I'm more concerned about other matters." Bella leveled him with a stare. "Didn't you have something to talk to Carlisle about?"

Jacob shook his head decisively. "Not anymore." He stood and went to refill his tea.

Bella was there before him, teapot in her hand and scowling. "I want you to do this, Jacob," she ordered.

"Not after what you just told me. Incidentally, we have to institute a little more security protocol. I can't protect you if you're determined to fly all over France." He looked down at the petite but powerful woman with a stern glare.

Bella saw that he had just given her the argument she needed to make him see reason. "Jacob, you can't always be there to protect me. There is no need to let this affect your plans. Besides, I was in no danger. Remember?"

"Yes. Yes. You were just having fun but what about next time? Is it going to be fun watching Edward die?" Jacob's exasperation released the harsh statement. Ignoring her hurt expression, he made his final point.

"Losing focus loses fights, Bella. If Edward gets caught or hurt again you would lose focus."

"You deserve this too much, Jacob. I want you to go." She was not budging on the issue. Bella was so stubborn.

So was he. "I can reschedule," he countered.

Bella smiled and Jacob realized she thought she had won the disagreement. "No, you can't. Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get you the _honours du_ _louvre?"_

Jacob faltered and Bella saw her opportunity to end the discussion once and for all.

"I promise I will always go out with Alice."

"Alice?" Jacob knew this changed things. Despite her youth as a vampire, Alice was incredibly strong. And a dirty fighter to boot. Jacob paused to think about her offer. If Bella stuck with Alice, he knew they would be alright.

Feeling relief on all sides of the situation, Jacob determined he could keep his plans after all, but in an effort designed to make sure Bella resolved to stick to her offer he made her work a little harder at convincing him before he caved in to her demands.

Jacob also decided to have a word with Jasper and Edward just to make sure the girls did not get themselves into trouble.

* * *

The game was set to start at ten o'clock and everyone was on time. Edward had actually been sitting at the dining room table since eight thirty trying, in vain, to shuffle the cards the way Carlisle did. It was a skill that eluded him and as the rest of the men seated themselves around the table he put the cards down next to a single gold franc. It was the only coin he had at the moment, but Carlisle assured him that Emmett would be able to convert banknotes to francs as needed.

Jasper was met at the door of the Cullen house by Jacob. He shook Jasper's hand so vigorously that his usually inconspicuous twin sickles clanged against one another underneath his long jacket.

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did the night before last," Jacob said and let go of Jasper's hand. The mysterious jangling sound ceased and Jacob nodded in understanding to the fellow soldier. Jacob had also armed himself recently with a concealed blade capable of relieving anyone of their head within seconds. His was a double headed hand axe that sat upside down, resting in the small of his back.

The jingling sound that accompanied Dr. McCarty into the room sounded like a herd of belly dancers and his pockets bulged so much at the hips that Edward wondered how he managed to keep his trousers from sliding straight down to his feet. Upon reaching his spot at the table, Emmett pulled great fistfuls of little gold coins from his pants until he had an impressive mountain of francs on the table in front of him.

Carlisle, who was sitting directly across from Edward, began counting banknotes out to Emmett. Jasper who had greeted Edward politely upon entering the Cullen home was now sitting at the end of the table to Edward's left. Neither one made the slightest indication regarding their encounter two nights earlier. Jacob took the seat at the other end, across from Jasper, near the kitchen door. It was the closest he could get to Rosalie, who was helping Esme prepare the evening's refreshments. It was not an accident that both men took positions at the head and foot of the table. As they made themselves comfortable for the night they each surveyed the garden just outside the large windows behind Edward. Jacob and Jasper each kept watch on the door located behind their respective counterpart.

Emmett sat right next to Edward and elbowed him in the ribs. "Need some money, kid? I'll sell you some francs but don't be angry if I end up going home with them all."

"Don't listen to Dr. McCarty, Edward," Carlisle said to his son. "He likes to rattle in his cage."

"Please," Jasper held up his hand, "let's dispense with titles at the table. We are here to become friends so we shall call each other by friend's names."

"Quite right Jasper," Carlisle amended while sliding a small portion of the gold coins toward himself under Emmett's watchful eye. "I wish to convey my gratitude that you and Emmett have welcomed my son and his new friend Jacob to play bluff with us and they assure me that they are both familiar with the game."

With that both Edward and Jacob nodded their heads while silently counting their own banknotes.

"We'll play with the draw rule unless anyone has objections?" Carlisle continued. As he scanned the table, he was met with two shrugs, an excited head bobbing up and down and a polite nod. "Good. Draw _poque_ it is. I find draw more exciting anyway."

"Plus two rounds of betting!" Emmett announced bouncing in his chair so hard that it was making the floorboards squeak. Carlisle hoped he would be able to get through this game without having to explain to Esme how one of her mother's dining room chairs was broken…again.

"There is no limit to the bets," Carlisle continued. "And I've opened a '66 that I think you all will enjoy. It's so dry that you could drink it in the rain and not get wet."

Everyone exchanged personal greetings while Esme and Rosalie poured drinks and Emmett finished selling card friendly coinage. Jacob was the only person who turned down the wine. He asked for, and received, tea while the rest of the men indulged in the more adventurous libation. Consuming alcohol was a risk he never allowed himself to take. Jacob could never afford to lower his inhibitions and heighten his emotions.

Emmett had taken note of Jacob's polite refusal of wine and decided he would limit his consumption this evening. Despite his joking ways, Emmett took his card playing very seriously. It was best not to give this new player any kind of advantage.

Jasper was positively gleeful at having the opportunity to closely observe both Edward and Jacob. He had been impressed with Bella's human beau and his ability to absorb the events that had taken place at the cathedral. After their greetings a few minutes before, Jasper was keen to determine whether Edward's seemingly calm exterior had roots or was a well rehearsed façade.

Despite Jasper's curiosity when it came to observing Edward, he knew that the boy's existence was a measured one. He was, in fact, much more interested by the immortal sitting across from him at the head of the table. Jasper was a clever man but could not imagine what other types of immortals there were in the world besides vampires.

There was simply no precedence as far as he could tell.

Jasper tried not to eavesdrop when Jacob leaned over to Edward and spoke with him.

"How are you doing? I heard things got a little out of hand the other night."

"Out of head is more like it," Edward spoke quietly and did not wait for Jacob or Jasper to react to his awful joke. "I don't know what we would have done without Jasper. We are in his debt."

"Did somebody say debt?" Emmett's head popped up and out of his current conversation with Carlisle, and he searched the three faces eagerly.

"No, Emmett," Jasper sighed. "Let's play cards already."

The decision was made to pass the deal but since Carlisle was the only one who could shuffle the cards like an adult it stopped after two rotations. It fell to him to be the game keeper for the rest of the night. They passed the bet instead so everyone had a chance to be the first and last to call during the game play.

Early on Edward did quite well, mostly due to luck. Jasper, who could see that Edward was getting one good hand after the other, appreciated how he feigned worry and was hesitant with his bets. He lured Emmett in every time and had almost doubled the sixty francs he bought when the game began.

Jasper thought he had discovered Edward's 'tell' when he noticed that the boy ran his fingers through his hair whenever he received a bad hand. This theory was abandoned however, when he realized that Edward also ran his hand through his hair when he received good cards. After a few hands, Jasper decided the action was not so much a tell as a tick. It seemed as though Edward was not aware he was doing it.

Carlisle and Jacob were both down in coins at first and seemed like two peas in a pod. They were both fun loving but calm men who watched more than they waved, and listened more than they lambasted. They were very compatible, chatty even, and the wine was not to blame, at least not for Jacob, when they hooted with laughter every time Emmett knocked over the tower of coins he kept building.

Jasper spent the first hour receiving bad hands and playing them. It was usually for Emmett's benefit as his hands were slightly better but Edward routinely scooped the modest piles of money away after the call. Emmett was getting heated and Jasper could see his body temperature rise. Soon the air around his head would pick up the shimmering purple color that body heat always projected to him.

Jacob seemed to be enjoying his tea more than the game and his dwindling stack of coins was proof. He was the first to stand every time the ladies entered the room with refills and he was as lavish in kissing Esme's hand as he was her daughter's. Carlisle approved of the garish behavior as a winning substitute to the apathetic cauliflower brained gentlemen Rosalie usually frequented. Carlisle played conservatively and therefore was only down a touch. He did, however, enjoy the riches of his wife's own company when she happened by. She even spent a hand sitting in his lap and watching approvingly as he won that particular round.

Emmett needed better cards and solved the problem by betting big. It was a strategy that had never failed him. He knew his luck would have to change if the women were going to keep admiring his stack when they came into the room.

The cards flew good naturedly and everyone had at least one taste of winning a sizable pot. Even Jasper took a small victory out of Jacob's hands with a sly grin. He and Jacob communicated nonverbally several times during the night, mostly to confirm diligent surveillance.

"Why don't we take a break and enjoy a cigar in the garden?" Carlisle suggested.

They all agreed and Jacob offered to give Carlisle a hand in order to have a private word.

Emmett fumed at the table and now opted to drinking a second glass of wine. He was dumfounded as to his performance but assumed it was the dynamics of the bigger group and that he had to change his tactics.

Jasper and Edward went through the kitchen and stood on the back porch taking advantage of the moment to discuss the events at Notre Dame.

"I was hoping you could tell me something, Jasper," Edward said as he stood on the back porch looking out over the fair hills and the distant cathedral.

"Of course." Jasper had observed a great deal over the last hour and could see why Bella loved Edward. He was pure of heart and radiated goodness. He also now understood why someone like Edward would not want to wear the shackles of the vampire.

"Can anyone kill a vampire by cutting off their head?" Edward whispered so low that he could not even hear his own voice.

Jasper hesitated only slightly before answering. He was not sure what Edward was getting at but felt sure that trusting him was the right decision. "Yes, if you can get close enough, you can do it."

Edward furrowed his brow. "But…doesn't one have to be as strong?"

"We are just as susceptible to injury as any human. Our advantage is that we have faster reflexes to avoid such injuries and faster healing abilities if we fail." He looked to see if Edward was getting his point. He was not. Jasper tried to explain it another way. "If you can catch a vampire by surprise, any blade swung with force should sever the head and do the job. We do have strength but our flesh and bones can be broken just as easily as yours."

"So…It's best to attack while they're asleep?" Edward probed.

"Yes," Jasper responded honestly. "Most vampires take precautions when they sleep just in case."

He should have been surprised to find himself freely educating a human on how to kill his kind but Jasper had a good feeling about Edward.

"Alright," Edward said. "That's all I wanted to know. Thank you."

Thinking the conversation was over, Edward turned to enter the garden through the gate but Jasper tugged on his sleeve.

"Hold it," he said. "Edward, I need to caution you that vampires are extremely powerful and have very keen senses. I don't mean to offend but we can react to the first twitch of your muscles and disappear before you even get the chance to swing."

"Don't worry," Edward replied with a pat on Jasper's arm. "I'm not asking for me."

"Bella." Jasper did not hide the relief in his voice. "I'm glad you two are still talking about it. I hope she is considering a weapon."

"We've discussed that but I think she wants something she can hide easily while wearing a dress." Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll give it some thought," Jasper said. "You're doing the right thing by arming yourselves. Most vampires never consider weapons so she will have a real advantage."

"I'll tell Bella you approve and maybe we'll visit you again soon," Edward offered.

"That would be fine and I promise you will be treated better next time," Jasper joked as they both walked into the garden and accepted cigars from Carlisle, who was chewing on one the size of a spyglass. Emmett had been coaxed outside as well and the men enjoyed the company of both Cullen women as they all breathed in the sweet summer air now sprinkled with laughter.

As they mingled in the garden lit with blue moonlight, Jacob also had private words with Edward and Jasper. Both men listened intently to what he had to say, nodded and shook his hand as if deals had been struck.

Emmett and Carlisle stood with the ladies and discussed upcoming lectures and studies for which they both had great hope. The two men shared a personal desire to solve medical problems and would heal the world if they could. They both knew that there was a serious lack of education about the human process and had most of their energy wrapped up in surgical practices.

"What's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen?" Rosalie asked Emmett.

"Now Rosalie," Carlisle warned. "You don't want to hear about things like…"

"One man came in with a stale baguette in his anus." Emmett's voice carried in the still night air.

Everyone stopped talking all at once while Carlisle slowly shook his head at his young colleague.

Once back inside the house to resume their game, the men observed as the momentum shifted to Jacob. He was a slow starter but collected a sizable pile of coins made up mostly of Jasper and Emmett's money. Edward and Carlisle were both down below their starting amount but each still had hopes of profiting.

Jasper noticed that Jacob rarely spoke about the game, just put in his coins or put down his cards. He did not know if this was strategy or naivety but Jacob hardly seemed aware that there was a game in session. He seemed very happy about something and his happiness bred luck.

"Ante?" Carlisle said. Everyone, including him, tossed a single franc into the center of the table. He then dealt five cards to each man, again including himself, and picked up his hand. Carlisle knew he was going to play his pair of nines but it was Emmett's turn to bet.

"You boys are in trouble now," Emmett crowed as he threw five francs in, doubling the size of the pot. He had three aces. If he was lucky, everyone would misinterpret his vigor as a terrible bluff.

Jasper called. He had a pair of kings.

Carlisle called as well. Those nines were not a great hand to start with but he had to make a bold move. This was his best shot.

Jacob raised the bet by two francs having been dealt a flush.

Edward folded.

The first round of betting now completed, Carlisle allowed each player to exchange cards in their hand for ones from the deck.

Emmett took two cards but did not receive another ace, or the pair that would have given him a full house.

Jasper threw away his kings and the ace Emmett had been hoping for. He was dealt three threes in return.

Carlisle took three cards and was given nothing.

Jacob declined the dealer's offer and sat back smiling.

Emmett bet another five francs.

Jasper called. He knew Emmett had him beat, as did Jacob.

Carlisle folded.

Jacob raised the bet two more francs.

Emmett called.

Jasper called.

"Call, Gentleman," Carlisle said. Jasper turned his cards over immediately. His threes looked impressive to Edward until Emmett revealed his triplet aces.

"Oh!" Carlisle exclaimed at the sight of the coveted cards.

Emmett's eyes gleamed so brightly that Jacob felt guilty as he laid his flush on the table.

Edward yelped in surprise as Jacob scooped the pile of coins his way and Emmett pounded the table with a competitive sneer.

Within an hour Edward, Carlisle and Jasper all split their francs between Jacob and Emmett as the last part of the evening favored those gentlemen heavily. Each had a mound of coins that would make a banker drool and Carlisle was now dealing without the burden of playing. Edward and Jasper returned to the garden to enjoy another of Carlisle's cigars.

"Did Jacob talk to you?" Edward asked, already certain of the answer.

"Yes, and I heard what he told you as well," Jasper said while pointing to his ear.

"What did you tell him?" Edward's voice was low and his eyes were down.

Jasper could see that Edward was bothered. "I told him I would do all I could. I thought you would approve."

"I do," Edward confirmed. "It's just that..." He breathed hard but could not finish his thought.

"You want to be the one to protect her," Jasper said gently.

"Yes," Edward confessed realizing it did not seem like such a sin when Jasper said the words.

"I'm a liability right now and that's even worse." Edward's eyes prickled but he commanded the tears back down.

"Don't worry, my friend," Jasper said. "Jacob is just thinking of all options. I'm surprised he didn't ask Emmett to look in on Bella."

They both laughed at this and Edward felt a little better. He was the weakest of all Bella's male friends yet she still loved him. All too often, Edward found himself focused on the reasons why Bella shouldn't love him instead of accepting that she did.

Sometimes reason needs a rest.

When the two men reentered the house, they found Emmett and Jacob in a battle of cards that had at least a hundred francs on the line. It was time to draw and Jasper watched as Emmett received a second pair. Jacob turned his three queens into four.

While Emmett was considering his bet, he watched as Rosalie entered the room from the kitchen and stood behind Jacob. She peered into his tea cup to see if he needed a refill but before she left she glanced at his cards and made a very slight but distinctly sour face.

Emmett suddenly pushed all his remaining francs to the center of the table and Jacob obliged by shoving his own considerable pile in to meet it.

"Call," Carlisle announced, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. Both hands fell open at the same time and Jacob's many face cards stood out like blood in the snow.

Emmett's jaw fell open but his entire head could have fit inside Jacob's gaping mouth.

The bystanders clapped and Esme came in from the kitchen to observe the raucous. "How much was that?" she asked.

Emmett answered with a brooding tone and stared daggers at Rosalie despite Carlisle's presence. "Over two hundred and sixty francs."

Rosalie risked a glance Emmett's way and offered him her best 'Who me?' shrug. She then helped Jacob fill her big apron pocket with coins. The garment was weighed down enough that she had to walk bent over into the kitchen. Emmett could see that Jacob was oblivious to Rosalie's play. It was all that stopped him from making a scene. His argument was not with the man who had won the pot. It was with his mentor's manipulating daughter.

Emmett excused himself, shook Carlisle's hand in silence and left. Carlisle was positively red trying not to laugh. He had been playing with Emmett steadily for over a year and had been waiting all that time for Emmett to meet his match.

Taking a cue from Emmett, Jasper rose from the table. "I had a fabulous time as always, Carlisle." Jasper shook his hand.

"You never seem to win my friend," Carlisle offered sympathetically.

"That may be true," Jasper replied with a wide smile, "but I always learn something."

He kissed Esme's hand, congratulated Jacob, nodded to Edward and then left out the front door.

Within minutes, Edward excused himself and went up to his room, calling good night across the foyer to his parents who were doing the same. The house was silent and soothing as Jacob led Rosalie to the big fluffy davenport in the moon streaked parlor. He put his arm across the back of the sofa and Rosalie curled up under his wing.

"I have something to ask you Rose," he said as he toyed with her curly blonde hair.

"Whatever it is, the answer is yes," she replied, her eyes closed in contentment.

"Well in that case you better pack your bags," he chuckled.

"What?" She sat up and stared at Jacob's broad and beautiful smile.

"Pack your bags. We leave in the morning," he elaborated.

"Where are you taking me?" Rosalie was instantly thrilled at the thought of leaving town with Jacob.

"We are going to Versailles for a few days. Just you and I."

He watched her eyes for a reaction but it was her lips that flew open as she showered him with feathery kisses.

"Oh, Jacob! I've never been," she sighed.

"I went there a long time ago and you will love it. We can explore the gardens together and we're staying at the Queen's hamlet."

Rosalie's eyes went wine barrel round and she covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped out loud. "That's impossible. How did you arrange it?"

"Bella's gift to us," he told her honestly.

Rosalie was touched. "Tell her thank you." She squeaked as she pulled herself into Jacob's big warm body.

They sat there in the darkened parlor long enough for the moonbeams on the floor and piano to flatten and shift. They both deserved someone to love them completely and, as they roosted there breathing in each other's hopes, he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Rosalie."

Jacob had won the night in more ways than one.

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**Notes:**

**Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending Bella Voce. The continued positive response is humbling.**

**I have been asked if I will be participating in the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser this June. The answer is yes.**

**If you are interested in joining Team Bella Voce, please contact the team leader, April. She can be found on twitter (at)aRedi or you can e-mail her, aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com.**

**Thank you, April, for leading the team!**

**To learn more about either Fandom Gives Back or Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (the charity that will benefit from the campaign), please refer to my Bio page. Links are available there.**


	10. Chapter 10: A Game of Chess

**Disclaimer:**

**I did not write Twilight.**

**I am, however, accepting submissions for funny disclaimers.**

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**Chapter Ten:**

**A Game of Chess**

Early the following morning, Jacob was on his way back to the Cullen house. The sun was still low enough in the sky to make the shadows of his two horses stretch out in front of him like twin rivers of black water. He loved the way the world looked as dawn bathed the streets in pale orange cream and picked up beads of water on all the plants. As he rode by _Champ de Mars _the fields looked like they were made of diamonds and the wonder in him was reawakened.

That particular morning's ride had a surreal quality and if Jacob had been capable of sleeping, he would have wondered if he was dreaming. Although he and Bella had spent hours making preparations for this trip, Jacob had fully expected a refusal from Carlisle the night before when he asked his permission to take Rosalie to Versailles. Instead, he could have sworn that the man was stifling a laugh as he reached way up to touch Jacob's shoulder. He was further surprised when Carlisle gave him a half hug, a man hug, and replied, "You know you have to get her to agree now. She might not like how it looks to be traveling alone with a man."

What Jacob could not know, and probably would not want to know, was that Carlisle and Esme were aware of the rocking chariot debacle. As a father, Carlisle still struggled with the fact that Jacob already enjoyed a familiarity with his daughter. He and Esme, however, could not deny Rosalie's total change in demeanor. It was clear to them that Jacob was not just any other beau. It had been so long since they had seen Rosalie happy and Carlisle felt the risk of a social scandal was minimal. The trip to the countryside could only strengthen the budding relationship.

Jacob was also still uncharacteristically rattled by the near disaster at Notre Dame. Bella's new skill and new love had distracted her from her usual cautious nature around other vampires. She was taking unnecessary risks and Jacob was still determined to institute some new rules upon his return. If Bella would not listen to him, he would simply discuss future matters with Edward and make him understand. Men of like minds took comfort in camaraderie. Jacob felt his circle of protection widening as he now felt responsible for Bella, Alice and the entire Cullen family. It was one of the greatest comforts he had ever known and coupled with his new desire to risk romantic attachment with a mortal again, he may as well have been dreaming.

In the meantime, Bella promised to stick close to Alice, Jasper vowed to look in on them and Edward reluctantly agreed to only see Bella at the theatre or the Cullen home. Jacob had been adamant – no flying excursions. He was satisfied this combination of terms would allow him to focus his full attention on Rose during their time in Versailles.

Rosalie was the only family member visibly awake and she was standing on the back porch with six bags, two hat boxes and a smile that made Jacob blink rapidly. Things were colorful and electric, the very air seemed filled with her fragrance. Jacob had gotten into the habit of wiping tears from his eyes as he jumped down off the carriage in front of the Cullen house and he did so this time with a practiced subtlety.

"Good morning, Rosyglow," he said as he picked up two of her bags. "Would you like to sit forward or backward on the trip?"

"Well, I was planning on sitting up with you," she replied "but not if you call me Rosyglow….ever."

Jacob laughed as he gathered her belongings and stowed them inside the carriage with his single bag. He was impressed that she would elect to sit behind his two horses on a long and bumpy half day journey but delighted in the chance to share the French countryside with her.

"I have a handkerchief you can tie around your face if you would like," Jacob offered.

Rosalie looked puzzled, then angry.

"…to keep the dust out of your mouth," He added.

She nodded. "Do you think I'll really need it?"

Jacob looked at the ground near his carriage and saw that the earth was still sodden with the night's rain. "I don't plan on wearing one but then again I'm used to it."

His statement settled the matter for Rosalie. "Then I'll get used to it as well," she said as she took his hand and climbed up onto the bench. Once he settled himself next to her, she lightly touched his arm.

"I have something for you." Rosalie smiled warmly as she pulled something from her coat pocket. He watched as she handed him an extra large pair of black leather gloves.

"I was saving them for later but when you told me what we were doing I thought you might like them now."

Jacob's eyes prickled yet again and his lip quivered but he pushed his face into the soft hide and inhaled deeply. The earthy scent of leather filled his nostrils and the familiar scent released an ancient memory. As a boy, he used to help his father plow the fields and the leather straps of the instrument were level with his face. The leather baked in the sun as his father's sweat mingled with his and his rough hands covered Jacob's, guiding a young farmer's work. Memories of his parents had not faded over the long years but this one had been lost even in humanity. Although it brought him a sharp twist of pain, Jacob cherished the tangible connection.

"Thank you a thousand times for this gift." He spoke the words into the gloves and, for a moment, he thought she had not heard or understood him. An instant later, the light touch of her hand on his leg helped him regain the day.

Jacob put the gloves on and was astonished when he discovered that the insides were lined with fur. His hands were floating in a luxurious heaven he had never imagined possible.

"It's rabbit fur," Rosalie informed him. "I was lucky to find a pair big enough." She took his gloved hand and traced his fingers until he looked at her. His eyes were wild with the excitement of the day. He tapped his lead horse lightly with the whip and she trotted down the hill taking her tandem partner with her. Jacob held his arm up so Rosalie could dip in under his jacket and despite the crisp morning she felt snug and warm.

Jacob hummed lightly as they maneuvered through the streets of Paris and Rosalie listened to his music with her ear pressed to his chest. She watched as he communicated with the horses through the use of the reins and a five foot skinny pole with a black leather lash on the end of it.

"What does the whip do? I never see you really use it." As she spoke, she turned her face upwards, tickling his jaw with her breath.

"I do, but not as a whip," he said. "It is an extension of my hand and I use it to tap the horse on her hip because that's where we normally click our ankles when we ride on saddles, and that's how horses are trained." Jacob tapped her lightly twice and she sped up, her partner keeping pace. "I tap Bree here and she knows to trot. I pull back on the reins to steer and stop."

"Can I try?" Rosalie asked.

"Sure, when we get out of the city alright?" He looked at her to confirm that this was an acceptable answer. She snuggled deeper into his warm body and he allowed the horses to keep trotting at their new faster gate.

The road to Versailles was well traveled and they encountered many carriages on their way out of Paris. Rosalie took the reins, which were fairly useless with well trained horses on a marked road and, to her credit, she knew this perfectly well. She just liked the feeling of the two beasts chewing on their bits and tightening the slack in the straps she held.

Jacob wanted to tell Rosalie the truth about himself and, as they rolled along the packed dirt road, he felt like it would be the right place to share the long and sad story with her. He could keep his eyes on the horses and just sort of get through it all before looking to see the horrified look on her face. It was not a believable story.

By the time they crested the hill that exposed the gardens of the great courtyard Jacob had never found the moment he wanted to begin the difficult explanation. Instead, he regaled her with adventurous stories of the French Revolution and pointed out battle sights along the way.

Rosalie shared a great deal of herself with him along the way, and when she began to speak about her past, he listened intently, grateful for the distraction and the information.

She told with him that her great disappointment in life was that she would never be allowed to train as a doctor like her father. Rosalie had an interest and an aptitude for medical science as far back as she could remember. By age twelve, she had thoroughly impressed both her parents with her memorization of all her father's charts. She spoke of little else and, while Esme and Carlisle thought that allowing her to dream was a good thing, she was crushed when at age fifteen she was informed by a teacher that she would never be accepted into the medical community because she was a woman.

She had returned home from school that day in tears and Carlisle promised to make every effort to get her accepted into a medical university. He told her he would never deny an education to any willing mind and encouraged her by saying that he had seen women do great things. Rosalie told Jacob how her father had even approached the hospital's administrators and furiously demanded a satisfactory explanation as to why any second generation Dr. Cullen would not be welcome to practice medicine regardless of gender. She spoke bitterly as she recalled how Carlisle's forward thinking earned him ridicule from tiny men who felt threatened by the mere thought of a female doctor. In the end, he had reluctantly admitted defeat when he could do nothing to help his daughter realize her biggest dream. He broke the news to her gently and Rosalie had quietly thanked him for his efforts on her behalf.

As a consolation, her parents had given Rosalie the gift of time to accept her loss and to determine the course of her future. Nearly all of her childhood friends were now married and having children of their own but her parents told her not to rush into a new life. They wanted her to marry a man she truly loved and who loved her in return. She stayed home and pursued domestic studies like cooking and sewing but admitted to Jacob that she was a bitter woman, feeling as though the hand that destiny dealt her was cruel and foolish.

He was the first person outside of her family she had ever expressed her true feelings to. Rosalie was perfectly at ease in his company and she felt renewed at sharing her whole self with him. In his wisdom, Jacob understood this and it made him more desperate to find a way to explain to her the circumstances of his own life. He would have to be honest with her but first he wanted Rosalie to understand something.

"I know you would make a great doctor, Rosalie," Jacob told her as they rattled down the rutted road and watched with a heavy heart as she nodded somberly and swallowed hard.

"You'd be much better than Dr. McCarty," He said, trying to lighten her mood. She laughed with Jacob but he observed that hers was a wild and raw wound that still soured the air around her when she dwelled on it.

As they passed under the _Place d'Armes_ and through the grand courtyard they had a wonderful view from their high position of the inspired floral patterns in warm and cool colors alike. The flowers grew so close together that it looked like you could lie down on top of them without sinking to the ground. At the end of the great courtyard they were greeted by a man who told them that they had the_ honours du_ _louvre_ and that they could continue through the Royal courtyard in their carriage.

"This is truly an honor," Jacob told her. "It used to be that only Lords could come this far onto the grounds with their horse drawn coaches."

The Royal Courtyard ended at white marble steps that led down to the Marble Courtyard. The steps were there to ensure that no one went any further by horseback, for security purposes. Jacob hopped down from the bench making the springs cheer in their release and then easily lifted Rosalie down. He nodded at the stable boy who was hurrying over to collect the reins of Jacob's team. The chipper young lad told them that he would also take their belongings to the Queen's hamlet and to enjoy the grounds.

"The cottage is right on the pond," the boy said while pointing a small finger to the Southeast. "You will be staying in the big house just beyond the water wheel."

Jacob thanked the boy with the flip of a coin. The boy had not expected the gesture and caught the token awkwardly. He was a servant here and was not expected to be paid a bonus for his services. As the couple set off to explore the gardens, the boy busied himself with feeding the two horses bright red apples that he pulled from under his heavy canvas apron.

They threaded their way around part of the vast property and Rosalie was surprised at how many of the statues were built half in and half out of the fountains. She was especially captivated by the fountain of Apollo, whose chariot and horses were half buried in the flat blue horizon of the Grand Canal. The statue appeared to be rising magically from below and its reflection was cast perfectly in the sun bathed waters all around it.

"Do you see the gold in Apollo's wrinkles and some in the horse's tail?" Jacob asked as he pointed at the massive erupting stone sculpture.

"Yes," she replied. "and in the trumpeter's clothes?"

"Yes, that's what's left of the gold plating that once covered the whole fountain," he told her.

Rosalie was amazed. "The whole statue was covered in it?"

"And that's not the only one." Jacob was pleased that he could impress her with his knowledge of the Palace history. "Hundreds of years ago the whole Royal Avenue sparkled with gold."

"Did someone steal it?" She asked innocently.

"Only time," came his answer, his voice thoughtful and deep. "Time can steal everything if you let it."

They moved deeper into the ornate Palace grounds and saw that the rich colors in the flowers of the gardens were accentuated by crushed rocks that showcased an ambitious palate of hues. Jacob held Rosalie's hand as he walked her through the expanses like he lived there. He paused several times to push foliage aside, revealing overgrown secrets and knelt down in front of the smallest statues admiring them for the longest time.

The Palace had too much room for subtlety and the garish V_ase de la Guerre_ got Rosalie giggling with its sheer size. It was a carved stone basin that stood over ten feet tall with faces looking down at the couple.

"You could take a bath in that thing," Rosalie exclaimed.

"We both could," Jacob agreed with a wink.

When they stood at the round tiered fountain of _Latona,_ Jacob told her about Louis XIV's obsession with the Sun God and pointed out other stone vases almost as big as the one they now referred to as the bath tub. The fountain was loud as its wedding cake platforms were riddled with bronze children and each pair had a water spray between them. Jacob led her away and towards a grove of trees that were already quite tempted by late summer's opportunity to turn shades of yellow and red.

The grove gave them a respite from the afternoon sun and they let the shade slither down their necks. Jacob sat her down in the grass near a pond and pointed to a wooden wheel scooping up water on the other side.

"The Queen's hamlet is just beyond that mill," he said. Rosalie nestled herself into the curve of Jacob's body as he lay sideways facing the water. He draped a muscular arm across her stomach and grasped her hand as it rested palm up on the grass, their fingers disappearing in the luscious green blades.

Once more, Jacob wanted to tell Rosalie about his past but the moment slipped away like a fistful of light. He plunged his face in her wavy hair and inhaled her lilac scent while trying to work out who might let them look around the storerooms for the rumored painting "Christ's Meal at the House of Simon." He knew that it was gifted to the King by the Republic of Venice in a grand gesture but was not currently on display.

The two lay in the grass together and, as beads of sunlight sifted through the leaves, Jacob listened to Rosalie fall into a light slumber. Her gentle breathing was favored by a breeze from the water and the sound of the water wheel churning in the distance.

When she woke from her brief catnap she noticed that Jacob's arm was no longer around her. As she rolled onto her back to seek him out, she found him still at her side facing the other way. She was mildly insulted and smacked his shoulder.

"Hey," she pouted. "You left me."

"No, I didn't." Jacob was watching a ladybug spring from one blade of grass to the other. Her round bottom quivering before each hop and using her wings only when absolutely necessary. "I just rolled over." He demonstrated the technique and ended up with his wide brown face inches from hers.

Rosalie's bottom lip was sticking out far enough for a bird to perch on it. "How can you hold me when you face the other way?"

Jacob nodded his head, heavily considering her dilemma. "You could always hold me?"

His suggestion was met with dismay.

"But…I'm the little spoon." She looked at him with meaningful eyes. "The little spoon is supposed to fit inside the big spoon."

Jacob's booming laugh scared the ducks off the pond and rippled through the grove like thunder. She had finally provided him with the endearment he had been searching for.

"My Little Spoon." He knew she liked the nickname moments later when she referred to him as her Big Spoon.

They stood up and continued on their way and, as they rounded the trail that led past the water mill, Jacob remembered something close by. He vowed to bring Rosalie on a short moonlit walk back to the Temple of Love that very evening.

As they received their first glimpse of the hamlet, the sun was sagging behind purple clouds that invaded the western sky above it. The building was bigger than the Cullens' home in Paris and had a Germanic building style that made it feel more connected to the earth it rested on.

The boy who had taken the horses had delivered their bags just inside the front door along with an old brass key sitting on top of one of the hat boxes. Jacob retrieved the key as Rosalie opened the box and swept a yellow had onto her head.

"I know it's too late now but how does this look for tomorrow?" she asked.

"I think I'd like to see you in that hat tonight," Jacob said hungrily.

He took most of the bags and both boxes in one trip. Jacob was delighted to see Rosalie instantly pick up the remaining two bags and follow him to the ivory trimmed wooden staircase that led to the second floor.

The bedroom was, in a word, lavish. There were no less than fifteen paintings crowding the walls and it was furnished with a firm but large bed covered in turned down baby blue satin sheets. Rosalie was in girl heaven and watching her flit around the room unpacking made Jacob's heart swell so much that it gave him chest pains.

"Have you seen the ceiling yet?" he asked as he tilted his head back and forth, trying to absorb all the detail in the panels.

"There will be plenty of time for me to admire that later, love," she said as she returned his wink from earlier in the day. "Let's see the rest of the house."

They toured the rest of the rooms and were so filled with wonder by the time they returned downstairs they felt windblown. Jacob went into the kitchen and brought back a tray of pumpernickel bread, white cheese and purple grapes. They ate on the rug because they were afraid to sit on any of the furniture.

"Thank you for the food Jacob, I was famished." Rosalie ate daintily, but quick.

"Me too, and I know how much you like pumpernickel." Jacob expected to see her eyebrows rise and waited for the prophecy to come true. "Your mother told me when I asked about picnic ideas for that lunch we had on your roof." He blushed at the memory.

"Pumpernickel and jam," she mused. "I remember well." She did not blush but shifted her position on the carpet as if she was suddenly tickled.

"Do you know how pumpernickel bread got its name?" Jacob asked, willing to bore her with trivia rather than destroy a nice meal with lustful urges.

Rosalie, who had just plopped a few grapes in her mouth, shook her head.

"Napoleon was invading Germany and was served a kind of dark rye bread for dinner one evening," Jacob began. "Well, he hated it. He thought it should be bread for his horse, Nicole. _Pain pour Nicole _he said." Jacob smiled as he saw realization steal over Rosalie. "Over time, the words were smashed together and so today the bread is known the world over as Pumpernickel."

"How do you make the dumbest things seem so interesting?" she asked.

Jacob considered the question, unsure if she was making fun of him or truly interested in his answer. After a long pause he said,

"Timing."

By the time the moon was full in the windows, they had christened the bed chambers, twice, and were ready to take the short walk to the Temple of Love located on an islet where one of the many small rivers around the hamlet divided. It resembled a Roman gazebo with a white marble circular base and twelve columns supporting a dome. Inside, a sculpture of cupid was carving his bow from Hercules' club.

Jacob and Rosalie walked up the path barefoot trailed only by the sound of running water and when they stood inside the temple and under the cupola it cast them in inky darkness. They devoured one another with fierce kisses that lead to frantic love making. The columns came in handy for balancing purposes.

As did the statue.

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The morning swept in like a ghost and wrapped the couple in a warm cocoon of wispy blue light. They were on top of the sheets to stay cool and Jacob was properly scooted in behind his Little Spoon when her eyes fluttered open. He knew several minutes before she did that she was waking up.

"Good Morning," his voice was a delicious sizzle in her ear. "Would you like to have breakfast in the palace?"

"Yes please," she said in a rummy voice. "Isn't the temple on the way?"

"As a matter of fact it is." Jacob was happy that she was taking an interest in topography.

"Good. We left our clothes there last night."

_So much for topography._

On their walk to breakfast they passed a mountain of a fountain known as the Rockwork Grove. It was decorated with statues that still retained most of their gold plating due to better protection under the trees. They were about halfway out of the grove when Jacob pulled Rosalie off the crushed gravel path by the hand. He took her down a very narrow and overgrown trail that looked like it was only used by animals. They walked for a few minutes before entering a sun splashed clearing with a very old checkered marble platform on the ground. On it were thirty two clay statues, half were painted white while the other half were painted black.

"Do you know how to play chess?" Jacob asked her, picking up a pawn that stood to his knee.

"I wish," she said scornfully. "It's another thing girls aren't encouraged to learn."

"Surely your father doesn't think that." Jacob put the pawn back down.

"No, not him," she said quickly, "we had chess at school but only the boys knew how to play and no one would teach us." Rosalie was surprised at how bitter that memory tasted and she was suddenly very grateful to have a father who supported her thirst for knowledge.

They stood in silence while Rosalie considered her future. She could study medicine and hope to blaze a trail to an enlightened age but did not know if she wanted to be the one to lead any kind of charge. She shared these feelings with Jacob while the birds serenaded then from above.

"It's hard being the first of your kind." Jacob was sympathetic. _This is it_, he thought, _I'm going to take one last breath and then tell her that I am the only one of my kind and then see what happens from there._

Jacob's one breath turned into five. When Rosalie asked if he would like to teach her to play chess, his titanic smile told her his answer was yes. Jacob walked her to the center of the board and checked to see that all the pieces were in their proper starting positions. A few of them were turned around backwards so he quickly weaved his way to them as he preferred to begin with a tidy playing surface.

He then walked over to the black side of the board, went to the middle of the back row and stood behind a two foot sculpture of a woman wearing a pointed golden crown. "We start with the Queen," he said. "She is the most powerful piece on the board and can move any amount of unoccupied squares in any direction, but she is there to protect the weakest player." He took a step to his left and placed his hand on the round golden crown of the male sculpture. "The King."

Rosalie walked forward and stood in front of a black pawn while he continued. "The goal of the game is to put the other side's king in check, which is to say that he is forced to move to safety. The game is over when the king has no safe place to go. Checkmate."

He took another step to his left and behind one of two identical sculptures of men in long robes flanking the King and Queen. "This is the Bishop and he is very effective. He can move any amount of unoccupied squares but only diagonally. The Bishop is a great piece to spring a trap with."

"There are two of them," Rosalie noted, pointing to the one on the other side of the Queen.

"That's right," he confirmed. "Three pieces have duplicates on the board - the Bishop, the Knight and the Rook. There are eight pawns and one King and Queen."

"Got it," she nodded. "What's next?"

Jacob shifted left once more and picked up a stone horse on a round base. "This is the Knight. He can move in ways no one else on the board can and is often used to protect the Queen, especially when she attacks."

"I thought you said the Queen was supposed to protect the King?" Rosalie asked.

"She is but sometimes the best way to protect him is to fight off the advances herself. After all," he reminded her, "she is the most powerful piece you have." Rosalie was almost constantly nodding her head now, her eyes shining with understanding and her mouth quaked with unasked questions. "Some people play conservatively with her, keeping her very close to her King and defending him. Others use her to her full awful potential."

Jacob explained the dog leg moves of the Knight and then took one final step to his left and stood behind the tallest piece on the board. It resembled a small castle tower with turrets that made it look like it had a stone crown of its own. "This piece is called the Rook and there is a funny story about why it looks like a castle which, by the way, is what many people call it." Jacob held it up to inspect it as he spoke. "The Rook was originally named for a similar sounding Persian word meaning chariot. For centuries that's what the piece resembled but when the Italians discovered chess they misinterpreted rook as _rocca_, meaning fortress. Since then it has resembled a castle or tower."

"That's all lovely but how does it move?" Rosalie was focused.

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "Sorry, it can move any number of unoccupied squares but only vertically or horizontally."

"That just leaves all these pawns." Rosalie spread out her arms to include the row of miniature globes on pedestals that stood before her.

"That's right," Jacob said as he walked back around to stand behind Rosalie. "Pawns can only move forward one square at a time unless they are attacking or it's their first move but we'll get into that once we begin playing."

"What are we waiting for?" Rosalie had always been competitive and felt that she understood well enough to attempt a match. "If you go easy on me," her hands found her hips quickly and camped there, "I will know it, and hate it, and punish it."

"Whatever you say, Little Spoon."

It did not take Jacob very long to put her King in check, and Checkmate two moves after that. Rosalie insisted that they play again and the second game took nearly an hour. Jacob prevailed in the end by chasing her King around the board with two pawns and a knight. All the other pieces had been captured.

When Rosalie demanded that they play a third game, he knew he had created a monster. She was a talented player and he was getting his first glimpse of her strategic mind, having remained unaware of her performance during the game of Bluff.

Jacob agreed to play several more games with her during their stay if she allowed him to take her to breakfast before any further contests. She reluctantly agreed. Rosalie was not going to be happy until she beat Jacob at chess and they both knew it. For his part, Jacob had already resigned himself to the fact that she understood aspects of the game that had eluded him for two centuries. He figured that he had one or two games left to win before she captured his King first. Then she would never lose to him again.

Jacob wanted to eat before that happened.

They walked into the main palace building twenty minutes later and Rosalie gasped. It was ten times more brilliant than the nicest churches in Paris and the sheer volume of paintings on the walls was staggering. They ate a private breakfast in the Apartments of _Madame de Maintenon._ It was a sixteenth century red walled affair with dark wooden square tables in a small series of rooms.

They enjoyed crepes, honey bacon, strong coffee and a variety of freshly baked breads. They ate on dark blue flared chargers that dwarfed their huge portions. The optical illusion left the two sated and sluggish by late morning when they made their way back to the shady embrace of the grove.

Jacob had grossly underestimated Rosalie's chess abilities because later that afternoon they marched to the chess grove again where she soundly bested him in ten minutes. Two more games and she was bored with him as an adversary so she went back to kissing him.

He was pleased with his turn of luck after all.

As the two toured the palace and grounds over the next few days, the Hall of Mirrors ended up as one of their favorite rooms. It was over two hundred feet long with tall windows lining one side and window framed mirrors along the other.

When Jacob and Rosalie walked down the middle of the grand space they were caught in between the real world and a reflection of one. The light wooden floor was as polished as the massive mirrors that stretched fifteen feet above their heads. The countless golden statues also sparkled like the noonday sun, but it was the arched and completely hand painted ceiling that they both came back to see time and time again. Battles of gods and men raged above them at either end of the room. The twilight hues of the masterful oil work were marvelous and appeared as bright as stained glass.

During their final visit to the hall, as they looked at one another's reflections, a curious look drifted across Rosalie's face.

"Jacob? I realized I don't know your middle name. What is it?"

"Eric," he answered. "What's yours?"

"Lillian."

They smiled briefly at each other.

"Jacob Eric. I like that," she said.

"I still prefer Little Spoon," he said and placed a light kiss on Rosalie's forehead.

Throughout their stay at Versailles, Jacob thought soundly about why he was not able to tell Rosalie anything about his true nature. As they began the long ride home he had talked himself out telling her altogether. He reasoned that misery was stemmed in the knowledge that he would one day be without his love. He was unwilling to spend any time seeing her saddened by his curse. Instead, he would use his energy to store up as many wonderful memories of Rosalie as possible.

In the future, on lonely nights when later generations forced him to change his wardrobe again, they would cradle his heart.

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**Notes:**

**A special Thank You to Amymorgan for her help with this chapter. Please do yourself a favor and check out her story "No Safe Harbor" on Fan Fiction. It is a tale about Bella and Edward against the world.**

**I have been asked if I will be participating in the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser this June. The answer is yes.**

**Team Bella Voce is still growing and is well on its way to meeting its goal. If you are interested in joining please contact the team leader, April. She can be found on twitter (at)aRedi or you can e-mail her, aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com.**

**Thank you, April, for leading the team!**

**To learn more about either Fandom Gives Back or Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (the charity that will benefit from the campaign), please refer to my Bio page. Links are available there.**


	11. Chapter 11: Lesson Learned

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight because she had a dream**

**Morgan Locklear wrote Bella voce because he had a Dell**

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**Chapter Eleven:**

**Lesson Learned**

Bella and Jacob always kept their promises to one another so, on the first night after he left with Rosalie, Bella went out with Alice. They enjoyed a beautiful evening listening to conversations in many different languages as they sat near Bella's favorite bridge, the _Pont Neuf_. It was the first bridge built that crossed the Seine River over to the _Ile de la Cite _which, among other things, housed the Notre Dame Cathedral. She loved all the stone faces that lined the outside of the bridge and believed that the view _of_ the bridge was superior to the view _from_ the bridge.

As she sat with Alice, Bella felt the first chill breezes of autumn waft by and was excited by the thought that their evenings were lengthening once more. It would mean more time to spend with Edward. She missed him terribly and longed to feel his warm body next to hers once more. Ever since their first time together one circumstance after another had interfered and kept them apart. Once she fed tonight, Bella was determined to see him, to hold him, to tell him what he meant to her.

Despite her desire for Edward, Bella focused her mind and told Alice about the incident with the three filthy vampires at Notre Dame and their subsequent encounter with Jasper. Alice was consumed by her story from the start and asked endless questions about every detail. She was particularly enchanted by Jasper's inclination for drinking vampire blood as well as its noted attributes.

Excited at learning such valuable information, Alice felt enough courage to confess to Bella how she had slipped up by mentioning Jacob to Edward. She had heard nearly every word of Bella's conversation with Laurent at the front door of the theatre and assumed that Bella heard the indiscretion but she wanted to be the first one to mention it.

"I heard Edward say Jacob's name but that was it," Bella told her.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Alice asked. "You obviously trust him."

Bella tilted her head. "It's not my secret to share," she said, "and despite what Edward knows about you and I, there is Rosalie to consider. She should know before her brother does and that needs to come from Jacob."

"Do you think he will?" Alice asked. "I don't think he would have ever told me but I saw something." Alice was lost in a particular vivid memory but recovered and quickly changed the subject, suggesting it was time to go.

The river was a great place to hunt. Vagrants and criminals usually congregated there and the two vampires simply went for a walk and feasted on the first two scoundrels who attempted to accost them. The river also provided an easy means of disposing of bodies. Bella flung the corpse out into the weak current wrinkling her nose at the strong smell of alcohol. Sometimes the polluted blood of their victims would put the woman into an inebriated state of their own. While it was a feeling Bella despised, Alice considered it a perk. Alice kicked her discarded prey hard and he skittered out into the Seine, sinking fast as neither woman liberated any of his gold beforehand.

Totally sated, the women split up for a short time so Alice could attend to a late night client and Bella could pay Edward a visit. Bella had convinced herself that this detour was not in breech of the agreement she made with Jacob but decided not to mention it to him, just in case.

Alice told Bella that she was meeting a man named James and that his fashion sense was only outshined by his opinion of his fashion sense. Alice told her he was likable enough but asked Bella to hurry back because she planned on making it a quick fitting.

Oddly enough, Edward was standing in his bedroom wearing only his socks when Bella landed on his balcony and opened the door.

"Well, hello there," she said, shamelessly ignoring his face.

Without a word, Edward walked slowly over to her, placing his naked body right up against her dress, grabbed a shirt hanging on a chair behind her and put it on with a flourish as he turned and walked away.

"I can still see your behind," she said playfully.

"I know," Edward replied.

Bella caught up with him and whirled him around to face her. "I don't have long so I hope you aren't going to waste all our time playing hard to get," she said with a wicked grin.

Edward reached down and took off his socks.

"How's that?" he asked, a teasing smirk emerging on his handsome face.

Bella could resist him no more. She kissed Edward and ran her hands gently up and down his back. He responded by plunging his own hands into her soft brown curls and pulling her kiss inside his. The heat from his mouth was still so exotic that Bella tried to lick the moist air as it penetrated her open mouth.

They broke apart for a moment at his urging so he could gaze into his favorite honey brown eyes. "I've missed you so much," he whispered into her cheek. "I wish it was us off on a trip to Versailles."

"I'll take you on a trip Edward," she promised, "but it will be a lot farther away than Versailles."

"Really?" Edward was intrigued. "You've thought about this? Where would we go?"

"America," she said hoping to one day see New York City with Edward on her arm.

Edward told her that he would love that, and kissed her so hard and for so long that she lost every thought she ever had in her head. They owned each others very souls in that kiss and somewhere in the middle of it Edward told Bella that he would love her forever.

Bella was tempted to point out that in his current incarnation he was not capable of making such a promise, but decided that for tonight she would take what she could get and be grateful for it.

They were standing near his bed and, to his credit, Edward did not attempt to pull her down like some kind of ruffian. He did, however, explore her firm body with his hands. Bella removed his shirt and added her own caresses all over his glorious body.

"Can you come over for dinner Saturday night?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yes," she smiled, "that would be wonderful." Though she was in no need of food, Bella was thrilled at the opportunity to spend time with Edward's family.

"Will I get to see you before then?"

"I hope so. For now, I have to go." It was difficult for Bella to tear herself away from his warm and excited body and Edward was reluctant to let her leave. She had already made plans for their time together after Saturday's show but decided to keep them a surprise. Bella pressed her lips to his for a final sensual kiss. When she pulled away, they both moaned at the loss of contact.

"I'll try to come back tonight," she said in parting as she backed out onto the balcony and blew a kiss.

Bella left Edward just as she found him, except for the socks.

* * *

Bella was a little early after all, so she looked around Alice's shop after being introduced to the blonde man standing on a wooden platform. Bella herself used that same riser when her dresses were being hemmed. He was being fitted in a black suite with hazel accents sewn by Alice and they chatted easily with each other while she pinned his trousers and smoothed the fabric over his wide shoulders.

At one point, when Alice was standing behind James she reflected on her conversation with Bella and was struck with the impulsive and horrible idea of biting the back of his neck. Alice wanted to drink his blood and experience the strength described to her.

Never mind the fact that she was in her own business and attacking someone who knew her. Alice's biggest error was not administering a fatal blow.

Bella was sifting through golden shades of fabric that hung from the ceiling on long wooden dowels. She was remembering with fondness how Jacob had installed them a few years earlier when she heard a sound like someone taking a big bite from an apple. As Bella turned and rounded the corner, she could hear James howling in pain and when he came into view, his expression was full of rage. He immediately spun on Alice who had crimson lips and, unfortunately for her, laughing eyes. James shot out his hand in a jab that hit her so hard Bella heard several ribs break. Alice, who still hadn't broken the habit of breathing, gasped as her eyes swam up into her head. James, not even turning to Bella, punched her again, this time with all his force, and right in her face.

Alice went sprawling as Bella sprang into action but James jumped through the window. He landed on the street below in a run and never looked back. Bella went to her friend and carefully inspected her injuries. Alice was unconscious and her jaw hung at a grotesque angle that brought sharp tears to Bella's eyes.

Bella scooped her friend up in her arms and took off through the broken window scraping herself on large shards of glass in the process. She flew so fast the world below was a blur.

"Oh, Alice! What did you do?" She wept into her friend's hair as she streaked for Notre Dame with the sound of the wind and Alice's awakening moans filling her ears.

Bella didn't stop until she was through the doors of the abandoned church and laying Alice on the dusty altar.

"Jasper!?" her voice was elevated more from emotion than a need to be heard. "Are you here? It's Bella and I need your…"

Jasper was next to her in an instant, lantern in hand. "I'm here Bella. What happened?"

"Jasper, it was so stupid! She attacked another vampire," Bella sobbed. "She bit him right there in her dress shop." She sniffed loudly and said after a moment, "I know she'll heal, but just look at her." Bella shook with grief.

Jasper set the lantern next to the petite woman's short black waves of hair, leaned over the altar and looked into her eyes. "My name is Dr. Whitlock and I'm going to help you alright?" He turned to Bella. "What's her name?"

"Alice," Bella's voice was little more than a whimper.

Jacob had mentioned Alice, but Jasper hadn't imagined meeting her like this. "Alice?" He made sure that she was hearing him. "You need to stop trying to breathe. I know it's hard, but it will make you feel better instantly." Jasper put his hand gently on her jaw and slowly pushed it back into position. Bella was relieved that Alice did not seem to register pain as he did so, but Jasper pursed his lips in frustration.

"Are you still with me, Alice?" Her eyes were open but not focused and, as Jasper tore open her dress to inspect the ugly purple indentation below her left breast, he spoke quickly. "You remember where my room is, Bella?"

She nodded her head although Jasper could not see it. "Below the sacristy is a vault. The latch is next to the lantern," he continued. "I want you to go down there and grab the oldest, dustiest bottle you can find."

Bella was frozen in shock at the sight of her once vibrant friend, bruised and half naked lying on the altar. Her small white breasts stilled as she finally stopped breathing.

Jasper said firmly but politely, "Please go now, Bella." She needed a task to occupy her mind and Jasper knew it.

After she departed, he gently brushed Alice's hair from her face. "Can you wake up, Alice?" He watched her slowly turn to the sound of his voice. "Good, now I need you to drink." He quickly ran his wrist along one of the two sickle blades beneath his jacket, slicing it open. His hand was already dripping with blood as he brought it to her lips.

"Drink slowly please," he instructed. Jasper felt her mouth cover his wound. It was followed by a gentle tugging sensation as she found enough energy to suckle. He stood behind the altar at Alice's side. He bent over her, listening for Bella. Jasper turned his attention to the bruise beneath her breasts, which were now also spattered with his blood. As she continued to drink from him, the bruise began to shrink.

"Alright. Now I want you to do something else for me," he said, brushing the fingers of his free hand across her cheek in a signal for her to stop feeding. When she released her hold on his wrist, he pulled it away from her ruby lips. "Breathe in as deeply as you can. Fill your lungs with air."

Alice opened her mouth, her world suddenly becoming clear again. She looked up at the impossibly high ceiling. It was disguised in darkness but she could see the canopy of cobwebs draped along the buttresses. Her mouth was filled with cool blood that woke her bones. She heard the man above her tell her to fill her lungs with air and obeyed despite the pain she anticipated.

Her intake of air was accompanied by a rasp and loud cracks as her lungs pushed her ribs back into position. Jasper immediately sat her up with a soft swift hand at the back of her neck.

"Keep your lungs inflated Alice," he told her as he placed both hands on either side of her face, delicately cradling her jaw. "Your bones will start knitting faster now, but we need to stay just like this to help them along."

Alice was sitting on the altar like a ragdoll, her legs together and her arms at her sides. Jasper crawled up and carefully placed his knees on either side of hers. He was facing her completely now as her chin rested in his hands.

He spoke with seriousness. "I don't want you to attempt to speak or nod your head so when I ask you questions tap your finger on the altar. Once for yes, twice for no, alright?"

_Tap._

"You are going to be fine. You believe that don't you?" Jasper's voice was soothing and Alice was calm under his touch.

_Tap._

"Good, that's very important. Now, did you really attack a vampire?" Jasper's voice was even, but Alice thought she detected concern in his eyes.

_Tap._

"By biting him?" Alice saw no point in hiding the truth now.

_Tap._

Jasper took a deep breath, coming to the reluctant conclusion that he might have to kill this lovely but impulsive vampire to keep her from getting Bella into any more trouble. For the time being he was bound by his Hippocratic Oath even if he was in his black coat instead of his white one. He had to hold the girl like this for many more hours so he decided to excuse Bella as quickly as he could. Jasper would make his final decision after a few more probing questions.

"Do you realize how foolish that was?"

_Tap._

"Here comes Bella." Jasper looked in Alice's eyes and smiled down at her. Her eyes locked with his and signaled appreciation.

* * *

Bella found the small worn lever next to the lantern in Jasper's sacristy and when she pulled it she heard bolts releasing their hold on something across the room. She followed the sound and saw a door bobbing up and down on springed hinges. It looked like a large hand waving goodbye to her.

She took the lantern with her as she descended the sturdy but bowed wooden stairs into Jasper's blood cellar. She was standing amidst hundreds of dark bottles filled with dark liquid nestled into smooth notches in the dark wood. The air was cool and very dry as she paced the small room searching for anything that appeared neglected. None of the bottles had labels, but the corks had names written on them. She recognized _Marcus_ right away and saw many more names she had never heard of: _Linto, Atla, Serge, Paulo, Frank, Masen._ Name after name, and all with different origins. The bottles shined in the candlelight and she felt panic rise in an unexpected way.

Bella was surrounded by bottles of blood and all she wanted to do in that moment was drink every last one of them.

By the time the sound of Alice's ribs popping back into place was effortlessly caught by Bella's perfect ears, she had dropped to her knees in agony. Hunger clenched her muscles and siphoned reason from her mind but the guilt of her weakness shook her free after hearing the jarring reminder that her friend needed her. She opened her eyes and stared at the bottom shelf displaying several dust layered bottles. She reached for one marked _Irina._ It slid out easily bringing with it a trail of grey wisps that Bella grabbed and threw to the ground as she rose and sprinted back to the stairs.

When she came from the back room she saw both Alice and Jasper on the altar. Bella thought he looked like he was praying to her as a Goddess. He was holding her head up with both hands while thick blonde strands of his hair brushed her exposed breasts as he bowed his head.

Bella rushed up and stopped inches from Alice's face. As they looked at one another the emotions deepening in their eyes were stunning to Jasper and he watched as a visual connection appeared. Tiny yellow sparks floated back and forth from one set of eyes to the other. He had seen it before and knew instantly that Bella was Alice's maker.

_This will make killing her complicated, _he thought as he slid one hand down to cup her chin while he took the bottle Bella held out with the other. He bit off the cork and took a long pull before pouring the rest of the contents down Alice's throat. When a small trickle threaded its way down her neck, he quickly gave the empty bottle back to Bella before catching the blood on a finger. Jasper slowly followed the trail back up to its source at the corner of her mouth. He drew his finger to his own mouth and licked the blood away like it was chocolate.

The liquid was almost dark enough to be mistaken for it.

"Alice," Jasper said, "do you feel that buzzing in your belly?"

_Tap._

"When that feeling gets to the top of your head and down to the soles of your feet we'll be through the worst of it but we'll have to sit like this until morning." It was not the healing that was important to Jasper, it was the quality of the healing. "Immortal or not," he said, "It is necessary to help the body recover from injury. Bones that aren't set properly won't just pop back into place, they'll heal the best they can where they are and the vampire body will just keep going."

He inhaled and adjusted her jaw minutely before turning to Bella. "If I hadn't asked Alice to inflate her lungs, she would have healed with one half of her chest caved in." Bella noticed Jasper and Alice both blinking rapidly, obviously responding to the blood they had ingested. "I've seen many healthy vampires with limps because they were impatient. I was usually asked to re-break the leg and set the bone again, but by then the bone gets warped and difficult to manipulate." Jasper was now perspiring despite the cool temperature in the room.

"What's happening to her?" Bella asked.

"The same thing that's happening to me," he said. "You brought us…some…" he began searching the floor for the cork he spat out. "…powerful vampire blood… and our bodies are …absorbing it."

"It was marked Irina," Bella said guessing what he was trying to find.

"Oh," Jasper said, his jaw tightening at the sound of her name.

"Is that alright?" Bella knew something was wrong and was fearful she had made a terrible mistake. "Who was she?"

"…My greatest failure," he said simply and looked back to Alice. "You should feel a prickling sensation in your ribs and your jaw soon. It will itch a lot on the inside so I'm afraid scratching won't help." He turned back to Bella. "Would you please take off my coat to cover Alice?" Bella nodded her head in understanding and moved behind him allowing the conversation to be changed.

Jasper freed his hands one by one as Bella removed his long black coat. The process revealed the two circular blades hanging over his black hyde pants. The material was stretched tightly over muscular calves as he knelt. She then draped the jacket over Alice casting her breasts in shadows before she buttoned it up. Jasper took one last look at her yellowing flesh and Alice watched him with worried eyes. She had never so much as sprained an ankle as a human and was as grateful for the calming effect Jasper had on her.

"That bruise will be gone by morning," he said softly, "and you will look just as beautiful as you always have, I promise."

_Tap._

"Is there anything I can do for you, Alice?" Bella asked as one tiny cold hand crept into another.

_Tap._

"What is it?"

Alice looked at Bella and then back to Jasper. He did not catch the meaning, but Bella understood completely.

"She wants me to thank you Jasper," Bella said warmly, "and I do, thank you. You have now saved almost every important person in my life."

"I suppose Jacob is the one I haven't saved yet?" Jasper asked.

"That's the one." Bella replied.

"When are they returning from Versailles?"

"Jacob said he'd be here for Saturday's show," Bella told him then added. "Could you explain something to me Jasper?" Bella asked. "Actually it's a question Jacob had and I promised I'd ask you when I got the chance. You just reminded me."

"Well, we're not going anywhere for a while,' he laughed. "I'd be delighted."

"If a vampire's heart doesn't beat, why do we need blood? It doesn't circulate."

Jasper laughed again and shot Alice a deeply apologetic look when his hands jiggled her fragile face. "That's a question I wasn't expecting," he said. "Please tell Jacob that I believe we are using a different property of the blood, and that I also think our process for using it is digestive in nature." He paused seeing that both of them were paying close attention. "We are absorbing the blood, not pumping it. That's all I've been able to come up with even after access to hospital lab equipment." he shrugged his shoulders, again apologizing to Alice with his eyes for his Emmett-esque treatment of her knitting jaw bones.

"And it is our brains not our hearts that run the show." Bella said, quoting Jasper from the previous week.

"That's correct," he said. "Our brains are what must be protected and starving the brain of whatever it gets from the digested blood, however it gets there, is still the worst way to go."

"Isn't that how Marcus, Aero and Caius died?" Bella asked.

"Yes it is," he replied with an unapologetic stare.

"And you bottled their blood?"

"Yes, and a little goes a long way. Your spontaneous friend here won't have to drink for weeks." He nodded his head at Alice's questioning eyes. "It's true, and it tastes good chilled doesn't it?"

_Tap._

"I don't know about that Jasper," Bella said. "She has an appetite like no sapling I've ever seen."

Alice flashed Bella a rueful look for using the nickname. Jasper was instantly curious. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Bella began, "I've noticed that my hunger has gotten stronger as I've gotten older. For decades, I used to feed only once a month, but when…I turned Alice…" Bella swallowed. "She was feasting like a Roman the first week."

"That is interesting." Jasper was registering a buzzing sensation in his fingers as he felt Alice's bones couple beneath her skin. He held her chin loosely with a few fingers so he could inspect her face. There was going to be continued swelling but her cool body temperature along with the enhanced elixir he gave Alice had served her well. "Is she the only person you've turned?" He asked casually.

"No," Bella replied and then closed her eyes in a silent curse.

Alice's eyes widened and she even uttered a "Wha?" before Jasper shushed her by sliding his thumb in front of her lips.

"Who else did you turn?" Jasper asked.

"Who's Irina?" Bella responded defensively.

Jasper waited until the silence in the room had grown captivating before responding. "Why don't you go get her last bottle and I'll tell you."

They passed around the gritty bottle Bella retrieved as Jasper told his tale. The liquid slid down Bella's throat like icy licorice. She was relieved that it did not taste any different, a little stale perhaps, but not…spoiled. Bella had never tasted cold blood before, all her victims were alive, or recently dead when she fed from them.

When he finished his story the girls stared at him in disbelief. Jasper took the last sip from Irina's bottle and set it down on the altar carefully.

"I don't want either of you repeating what I have just told you. Please," Jasper said, "and Bella? It's going to be a long night for her and you still need to secure Alice's shop."

_Tap! Tap!_

Jasper looked into cold eyes that told him Alice's opinion on the matter. "Alice, you bit a vampire who knows you, in a shop that he's been to," Jasper reasoned. "Isn't there anything there you don't want them to find?"

Bella answered for the both of them.

"I need a weapon."

Jasper, a self taught weaponsmith had several wooden boxes on the top shelves of his sacristy and asked Bella to retrieve one marked "Discreet Blades." When she brought it back she sat on the altar behind Alice.

"There is one weapon in there that I need you to pull out first. For safety," Jasper told Bella, unable to see what she was doing. "Otherwise you may be holding a finger on your hand for the rest of the night. It has a wooden saucepan handle and about twenty inches of chain linked thin blades. Do you see it?"

Bella stepped into his view holding what looked like a silver snake attached to a worn wooden grip. She moved around so Alice could see it and jiggled it back and forth. Each thin blade was sharpened on both sides and had a small hole on each end so a chain link could be threaded.

"That is a razor whip," Jasper said proudly. "When you swing that at someone's neck it wraps around their throat. All you have to do after that is pull."

"I want this one," Bella said with determination.

"Just have a look at the others first," Jasper chuckled.

Bella brought out a metal Japanese fan. Folded up it was no bigger than a cigar, but when Bella flared it out she held a fan that created enough blade surface to make an English knight nervous. It was deadly sharp and, as she moved it through the air, the blade sang.

"I want this one." Bella had a thing for Japanese fashion.

"Just go and get a few more before you decide." Jasper liked her spirit.

When Bella returned from behind Alice with a lily white parasol, Jasper told her to press down on the small latch near the tasseled handle. She discovered a long thin blade hidden within. It was very much like a rapier except it was sharpened down both sides like a dagger. It looked very menacing to Alice as Bella swung it around and deftly slid it back into place.

_Tap._

"_She_ wants this one," Bella translated.

Bella also pulled out a punching dagger and a beautifully carved and curved knife Jasper called a _Kukri, _but she did not like either of them.

"It's between the whip and the fan," she told him as she went back to the box to look for her favored tools.

"Take them both," Jasper said eagerly.

"Really?!"

"Don't be so excited," Jasper said gravely. "You may really need them."

_Tap._

"I will be careful," Bella supplied automatically.

"I'll take that punching dagger, actually. And remember," Jasper urged, "surprise is your greatest asset. They won't expect a weapon attack so keep them hidden, choose your time and when you make your move strike first, fast and fierce." She handed him the wedged dagger and he directed her to untie a leather pouch he had on his hip to be used as a cradle for the razor whip. "Just keep the handle sticking out and put the pouch within easy reach," he said while Bella worked the strings holding the pouch to his trousers. She lifted up his shirt and saw a maze of scars that she could not believe. His lower back was shiny with them and she maternally touched one in sympathy.

"Oh, Jasper." she whispered. Alice cocked her head to one side earning her a mild course correction from her caregiver.

"Sunlight," Jasper said. "Whatever the sun does to us stays done."

"I'm so sorry." Bella was saddened for him.

"It was worth it," Jasper said with a reminiscent smile, "but I don't want the same thing happening to you so you better get going, Bella."

"What about Alice?"

"Alice and I are going to have a lovely evening getting to know each other, and then she will be spending the day with me."

"Where should we meet tomorrow?"

Jasper considered the question. "I think it's best if you meet us here. You do have a safe place to sleep by now I assume?"

Bella now wondered just how wise it was to make a tunnel from Alice's apartment to hers. Any vampire could lift her bed so she would have to make sure that no one was in either building before she went to sleep. "I'm covered," she mumbled.

"You better get going," Jasper said. "And, if someone is there, just wait until they leave. Don't start a fight."

"Alright."

The women exchanged a meaningful glance and Jasper detected an apology from Alice.

As Bella walked out of the sanctuary, Alice tried to communicate something to Jasper. She tapped her fingers a few times and looked frustrated. Jasper had to guess.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

_Tap. Tap._

"Are you thirsty?" He would have been surprised.

_Tap. Tap._

"Is it Bella?" Jasper was worried about her going out alone - especially after what he had promised to Jacob.

_Tap. Tap. _

Jasper watched as she moved her eyes to the dark windows.

"You want to know where we're going to sleep?"

_Tap._

"Well," he allowed himself a moment to follow her gaze to the arched ceiling, "this is an old church, Alice," he said humorlessly. "So, we'll be sleeping in the crypt."

* * *

Bella cautiously walked past Alice's dress shop, keeping her distance. From across the street, she noticed shadows gathering in the still candlelit room upstairs. She hurried to the theatre and went immediately down to her apartment. Once there Bella listened for any signs that they had found Alice's entrance to the shared tunnel.

Slowly and silently, Bella lifted her heavy wardrobe knowing that she could give herself away to the keen hearing of vampire prowlers in her friend's home. She waited for the wood to creak as she moved the piece and was favored by the fine English oak's silence. As she entered the dark and damp passage and gingerly placed one foot in front of the other, she strained her hearing and her heart.

It occurred to Bella quite suddenly that another vampire might be in the tunnel with her, approaching just as silently from the other direction. In preparation, she opened the gift from Jasper and held the deadly fan at her side; the edge was so keen that she could hear the air skip across it even as she crept forward at an excruciatingly slow pace. The sound of water dripping was always present in the subterranean hallway and its usually soothing symphony now rattled her with every plop and ping.

When she reached the back of Alice's own massive wardrobe she paused and listened intently for movement or voices that would pinpoint the location of anyone on the other side. If she could isolate just one intruder, she would risk going in.

Bella stood there waiting for a sign that they were either leaving or moving in her direction. The cruel silence that met her was an iron hand on her leg, it's only companions were stale air and a silent prayer.

After several long minutes, Bella finally made her decision - she was going in.

Right now.

Getting a grip on the smooth back of the heavy piece of furniture was impossible so she had to push out. Bella hoped that the movement would not be seen by anyone on the other side until she got a big enough opening to squeeze through. She used the polished fan as a mirror when she saw a sliver of light from Alice's bedroom but it revealed nothing so she pushed it in fast and walked in.

The room was ransacked.

Her crystal perfume bottles were broken and the sickly sweet aroma of essential oils punctuated the devastation in the room. Expensive fabrics were torn, books she had borrowed from Bella were in scraps, and there was a small group of coals smoldering in the middle of her bed.

Bella ran to Alice's washroom and brought back a small pitcher of clear water and poured it on the white rocks. The sound was thunderous to her ears. She stood frozen waiting for footfalls above her head to sound but they did not. She was alone, or someone was laying in wait. Bella had no choice but to survey the entire shop and wondered if someone was watching it from the outside to make sure the fire took hold.

Bella searched and secured the building not allowing her shadows to play on the windows as she did. Then she went back to her theatre. She knew she was not going to sleep well despite the fact that the passageway appeared to be undiscovered. Instead she curled up on her bed with several books and tried to tell herself that she was not listening intently for the sounds that were not coming from behind her wardrobe.

Bella never once thought of using her pendulum. To make matters worse, she fell asleep on top of her bed totally exposed and drooling delicately on a worn copy of Jules Verne's, _A Mysterious Island._

* * *

Jasper knew Alice was a troublemaker, but liked her just the same. If she could be controlled, reasoned with even, then she would be an amazing ally to have at his side in a battle. She was beautiful and, as the hours passed, he watched as her bones started to strengthen. Jasper finally let go of her jaw and allowed her to speak.

"Bella should have stayed here," was the first thing she said.

"She had to secure your home, Alice. You left that vampire alive and he isn't going to be happy," Jasper responded, prepared for the argument by her body language over the last few hours.

"Jacob made her promise to stay with me." She was not going to give up that easily.

"And just look where it got her." Neither was he. "I know you want to protect her, but you can't do it while you are biting random men in an attempt to capture some excitement." He was getting stern with her. "You almost got her killed tonight, Alice, and that is not what Jacob had in mind I assure you."

"How would you know?" She spat, angry at being chastised.

"He spoke to me as well. He asked me to look in on the two of you from time to time while he was away."

"Jacob didn't trust me," she said the words as a statement rather than a question.

"And you proved why." Jasper did not want to upset her but knew that this might be the time to make some things clear. "You can't kill a vampire unless you have a plan and if possible, the element of surprise."

"Oh. I surprised him alright," she said.

"I'm sure you did, but what was your plan?" Jasper waited for an answer.

"I don't know." Alice realized how stupid she had been the moment she felt James's punch to her chest. In that moment she understood just how impulsive and foolish her actions were. "I should have killed him first before I bit him."

"And you should always make your partner aware of your intentions first so she can be ready," Jasper added.

"Yeah, I surprised Bella as well." Alice remembered her friend's wild eyes and hot tears on her neck as they flew to the cathedral.

"It's almost dawn," he said. "I want you to come with me to the crypt where you'll finish healing while you sleep."

Alice stood up and took off Jasper's jacket making no attempt to hide her firm round breasts as she fiddled with her torn dress straps. She was not uncomfortable, but she could tell that Jasper was and so she deliberately kept her hard nipples exposed while she worked a few pins she had stored away into the fabric for a temporary hold.

They slept together. Jasper laying on his back in the stone burial room while Alice curled up next to him and put her head on his chest. They slept well, it felt nice. Jasper had both sickles with him.

* * *

Bella woke suddenly and scanned her bedroom. She was alone but had the feeling that something awakened her. _How could I be so stupid, _she scolded herself as she parted the curtain to her washroom and walked to the grate in the floor where a stainless steel tub sometimes rested. She looked up into the dark space above it and cursed herself again for thoughtless design. _We'll wall it up when Jacob gets back, _she thought, _we hardly use it anymore anyway._

She slipped out of the cotton dress she had slept in and started twisting small metal wheels that released water into the large round stone tub dominating most of the room. Bella also walked over to the larger spicket, its spokes spotted with rust flakes already, and released a flood of water down the copper cone that hovered over the tub like a hood.

A fine wall of water bled down the shiny metal and Bella stepped through it and into the bath. The water was fresh but cold and her vampire skin crawled with goose bumps from time to time. Bella liked the feeling. She could feel the tiny hairs on her body stretch out and feel the air.

The blanket of water made her feel both protected and vulnerable. Even she could not see through a sheet of running water and was suddenly very anxious to be out of the isolated tent she had so often lounged in after the water had warmed up for a few days.

Bella climbed out and allowed her body to drip dry as she turned off all the water and went back into her bedroom to choose a dress. As soon as she was out of the washroom she allowed herself a moment to listen for foreign noises. She was sure that it was only a matter time before James returned to burn down Alice's dress shop and she wanted to set a trap for him.

She dressed quickly and brushed her wet hair out of her face before going upstairs to check the lobby for sunlight. She was out of luck. Bella could tell as soon as she walked onstage that it was still too early for her to go out. Bright warm light came through the cracks beneath the lobby doors. Just looking at them made Bella's eyes hurt.

She knew that the sun only looked like that in her theatre when it was low in the Western sky. She still had at least an hour but took comfort in the fact that wherever James was, he was a prisoner just like her. Bella had to get to Jasper and Alice as soon as she could and get a plan together to deal with James. He could not be allowed to hold this grudge.

_I have to get a dress for Alice. _The thought of returning to Alice's apartment was unwelcome and it brought with it a tightening in her belly.

What if she chose the wrong outfit?

* * *

Jasper slept well and Alice slept better than she had since becoming a vampire. They both woke up to the muffled sound of Bella's increasingly panicked calls.

Jasper threw a bolt and led Alice through the caverns that honeycombed beneath the Cathedral's floor. Bella heard the sound from somewhere beneath her feet and waited for the pair to reveal themselves.

They emerged from a door opposite of the sacristy and Alice immediately ran to Bella.

"I'm sorry Bella," she said bravely. "I put us all in danger and I want to make it right."

"Good," Bella said looking from her to Jasper, "because that's why I'm here."

Bella told them what she had found at Alice's apartment and her desire to set a trap as soon as possible. Not surprisingly, both Jasper and Alice agreed. Within the hour they were all back at Alice's shop hiding amongst the clothes with weapons at the ready.

They were still there an hour later when four vampires came walking in with James in the lead. Jasper had Bella lean forward so that her pendulum hung freely from her neck. "It's the easiest way to check," he informed her and when it moved from spinning slowly, registering both Alice and Jasper, to a much faster pace she signaled her friends with a silent wave of her hand.

Things would have gone very smoothly if Edward had not shown up.

Alice stepped out by herself just as planned while Bella and Jasper attacked from behind. James did not even notice that two of his mates where beheaded as he lunged for his attacker.

Alice was ready for him and feigned frozen fright until he came barreling into the space she had once occupied. His forward momentum carried him into the blade of her rapier and when it only went halfway into his neck she finished the job with a flick of her wrist that sent his head sailing through the same window he jumped out of the night before.

Bella used the razor whip on the first man, its sharp edges biting into his skin as it circled all the way around his thick neck. When she pulled it, the deadly necklace squeezed together and popped his head off like a dandelion.

She was about to dispatch the final invader as she saw that Alice had neatly and stylishly overcome James, but Jasper beat her to it. He cleaved both vampires at nearly the same time. The spray of blood was usually limited with vampires but the two he had killed fell into each other and made a rapidly spreading pool.

Jasper pulled out several empty bottles and handed a few to Alice. "Collect as much blood as you can and, if possible, keep each person's blood separated." He then turned to Bella and handed her a punching dagger. "Shove this up into each of those four heads and twist it to scramble the brains. Start with the one that flew out the window."

Jasper pulled another bottle out and set it upon on the nearest corpse. He and Alice worked in almost practiced silence. She was just about to ask him a question when they heard Bella scream from down on the street. They both ran to the window and looked down.

Bella was standing below the window, looking at the unconscious body of Edward, knocked out cold by a seething and snarling skull.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**I am determined to raise as much money for Fandom Gives Back as I possibly can so Jenn and I have joined several bidding teams that pool money together on other fics, and we have a team for Bella Voce as well.**

**For this project I am submitting an outtake that has THREE lemons between Jacob and Rosalie.**

**It's wild and steamy and written just for this occassion. It doesn't fit into the story with the current narative so it will never be published elsewhere.**

**If you contact, the team leader, April (email is aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com or tweet her (at)aRedi) to pledge a minimum of $5 you will be a part of something big this June and you will read:**

**Swing Low Sweet Chariot**

**Up On the Roof**

**and Nightswimming**

**As always I am delighted with your reviews and comments and continue to be amazed with the things you people let me get away with, Thank you!**

**MOG**


	12. Chapter 12: Love Returned

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear owns several copies of REM's Chronic Town EP vinyl featuring a gargoyle from Notre Dame on the cover. (Not the reason, just an interesting observation.)**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Love Returned**

Edward was standing on the back porch of his home, thinking about the last time he saw Bella. It had been three evenings since she had briefly visited his bedroom. She had promised to return and, as the hours had drifted by, his anticipation soared. Excitement had eventually led to anxiety with the sun's rise.

Edward spent the following day sick with worry. His exhaustion allowed his mind to run wild with one terrifying scenario after another. He was on edge all day, unable to dismiss the feeling that something had gone wrong in Jacob's absence. When the sun set below the horizon, he found himself pacing nervously in his room with the balcony doors wide open. Edward waited for an hour in silence before deciding to take matters into his own hands. He was no longer willing to wait for Bella to appear. He needed to know what had kept her away. As casually as he could, he exited his room and went downstairs to tell his mother he was going to the theatre to work on music for his orchestra debut. He was out the door before Esme could respond.

As the darkened theatre came into view, Edward was focused on finding a way inside. In his determination and fright, he barely had time to register an object striking his head before the world went dark. His next memory was one of confusion and pain. He was back home in the parlor, lying on the davenport. Carlisle was examining him and asking him silly questions. Edward only had focus and energy for two words.

"Where's Bella?"

"I'm right here, Edward," came the answer. He felt her cool fingers slide into his hand and his relief was immediate. He was engulfed by her scent as she bent down to whisper words of love in his ear. She told him everything was fine and that she was leaving him in the care of his father. And then she was gone.

Edward was once again waiting for Bella to return to his home. Tonight she would be having dinner with his family. Paris had just been drenched in nightfall and that meant that it was finally time to see his love. His head was wrapped like a baby's bottom to protect his concussed injury but he was smiling at the prospect of having a nice meal with those he loved most.

Bella may have been one of the most powerful vampires in Paris but, as she approached the back of the house, she was a tight coil of nerves. Edward had now been injured twice in her presence and she was certain that his parents would rightly determine she was not a suitable mate for their only son.

When Bella reached Edward, they held one another tightly for a brief moment. As she pulled away from their embrace, Edward could not resist placing a chaste yet firm kiss on her lips. They both smiled at the contact and he was filled with hope by their reunion. Bella absorbed his joy and felt her nerves settle under his caring embrace. He took her hand and led them both into the pale yellow kitchen. As they entered, Esme was giving instructions to Carlisle who was slicing the main entrée into thin strips that she eagerly collected every few minutes.

"This looks perfect," Esme told her surgeon husband. "Will you cut up the bread when you are done?"

"Of course Sweetheart," he answered.

"We can do that," Edward offered upon hearing the chore assignment.

Esme whirled at the sound of her son's voice, a huge smile on her face. "Bella! I'm so happy you came." Esme had a messy apron on so she resisted the urge to hug her, but it was clearly excruciating for her. Bella, desperate for Esme's acceptance, took action. She walked over to the hook near the ice box and took an apron from it. She had Edward tie it in the back for her and then she gave Esme a hug. As she felt Esme's arms encircle her with enthusiasm, it became clear to Bella that Edward's parents did not hold her responsible for his current condition.

It was a precious moment – Jacob would have cried.

Edward and Bella set to cubing the bread for the fondue and she tried to remember the last time she ate human food. She sampled wine from time to time but had not eaten a regular meal that century. It smelled wonderful and she was curious as she watched the supper being prepared. She worried that she had forgotten to use utensils correctly. It was a silly thing to worry about but, then again, so was eating a sit down meal for the first time in a hundred years, give or take.

Bella pushed the thought aside and concentrated on the task at hand. When she and Edward had the bread neatly circling the fondue pot Esme scooted them out of the kitchen with dishes to set the table. She had them set it for six, anticipating Rosalie and Jacob's arrival in time for the late dinner. As the couple arranged the table settings they smiled at one another, enjoying the normalcy of their task.

When Carlisle and Esme entered the dining room, they all sat down together. Esme served pepper ham in pear cider, crisp pea pods, and a white cheese fondue with squares of bread surrounding the single flame that warmed the raised copper pot. It was a fine meal that everyone had helped to prepare.

Esme piled food high on everyone's plate and Bella ate slowly, testing her ability to eat regular food and savoring the exotic flavors. She took a special interest in the fondue. Jacob and Rosalie's places were at either end of the table, Esme, Carlisle, Edward and Bella sat in the middle facing each other.

"Edward has been practicing all week for tonight's show," Esme told Bella with a smile. "He'll do a wonderful job."

"He will be brilliant," Bella answered. "Are you sure you don't want to use my private box tonight?"

"No," Carlisle responded a little too quickly. "We're just going to have a quiet evening at home," he finished in a carefree nonchalant way. Carlisle had not been home during waking hours in several days. There had been several traumas in the city lately.

Edward's head pounded for two days after being brained by the wayward vampire skull, but he felt positively electric as the witching hour drew near. He had indeed been spending a great deal of time catching up on the music he knew the rest of the orchestra had been working on for months. He would commiserate with Milo when he got the chance.

He was nervous but just enough to only _want_ to vomit without actually _needing_ to vomit.

Edward managed to eat, slowly. He and Bella moved through their portions with a similar amount of caution. As he watched her careful movements, Edward anticipated Bella's reaction to their upcoming dessert - whipped banana cream pie. When Edward had asked her about what types of human foods she would like to eat, Bella revealed a proclivity to bananas. Edward was keen to exploit this new and interesting fact.

He asked his mother to prepare the special dessert and Esme was all too eager to experiment. She had tested several recipes, all of which she knew Jacob would have loved to sample. The fact that she was already cooking with Jacob's grateful stomach in mind told Esme that he fit very well into the family.

Edward had been forced to critique so much pie over the last few days that his suspenders were little more than aesthetic dressing. Even so, he looked forward to a slice of the masterpiece Esme had cooling in the ice box. Esme was hoping to see her daughter soon and wanted her and Jacob's opinion on the dessert.

She would get her chance.

When Jacob's carriage pulled up in front of the Cullen home, it was Bella who heard his wheels crunch the salt gravel. Inside, Carlisle was telling her about some of the new magnifying equipment he had acquired and the difference it made in surgery.

Everyone turned their heads toward the parlor door when they heard Jacob and Rosalie enter the house. Jacob had smelled the ham when they pulled up and, as he took Rosalie straight to the dining room, he was thrilled to see an empty plate resting in the very spot he had won the Bluff game. He thanked Esme with a kiss on the cheek as he breezed by her.

Upon seeing the bandages covering Edward's head, Jacob paused long enough to level Bella with a stare that communicated one thing - Y_ou are going to explain everything to me. _

Distracted by Edward's newest injury, Jacob sat down quickly. As he glanced over to Rosalie, he realized his error and quickly got back up to pull out Rosalie's chair. She took her time taking her place, kissing her father hello and giving her mother a from-behind-the head hug. Jacob eyed the great piles of food on the table and Rosalie patted his cheek as she sat down. Once she was seated, Jacob returned to his chair.

Carlisle was amused almost as much as he was impressed.

"How was Versailles?" Carlisle asked.

"We had a fabulous time," Rosalie answered. "It was the most wonderful few days of my life."

"Thank you," Jacob said, knowing a compliment when he heard one.

"What happened to you?" Rosalie gestured to her brother's bundled head.

"Falling brick," Edward said as he tried in vain to run his fingers through his hair. His two word explanation was really all he knew about the incident and, when pressed for details, he deferred to Bella. She shrugged her shoulders and said she found him outside Alice's shop unconscious.

Bella, Jasper and Alice had made the collective decision to lie to Edward about the nature of his injury. Their lives, after all, were based on creating one fabrication after another. Edward already held many of their secrets and, while he had proven trustworthy, they did not wish to burden him with any further falsehoods. The falling brick story served them well, Alice maintaining that the key to a good lie was simplicity. Even Dr. Cullen, who examined Edward at home, could do little more than confirm a blow to the head with a blunt object. Jacob, however, could smell a lie like flatulence in a carriage and did not believe a word of it.

He knew that it was a nice leisurely ride to the theatre and Jacob would have plenty of time to get the story out of Bella. Occasionally throughout dinner, she looked like she had something important to say. Jacob guessed that she would be his company as they rode over the river.

* * *

As it turned out, Bella did not ride up front with him. After they stabled the horses and dropped Edward off in the pit, she took Jacob down to her apartment where Alice and Jasper were waiting. Bella decided that the best thing to do was explain things to Jacob with all gathered together. She wanted to reassure him that everything was now fine.

Alice had to explain the details of the past few days to him as penance for setting the whole debacle into motion. She did so quickly and quietly. To her credit, she left nothing out and apologized to him as earnestly as she had to Bella a few days earlier.

Jacob was aware that a performance was scheduled to begin within the hour and did not want to escalate the situation with a stern rant or even a well deserved, _I never should have gone in the first place. _Instead, he listened carefully to Alice's story and then turned to Bella.

"Can I see your new weapons?" he asked her.

Bella handed him the leather pouch with the saucepan handle sticking out and the folded metal fan which looked a little like straight razor. He examined them both and complimented Jasper on his designs.

"We will have a plan in place from now on Jacob," Jasper said. "We will prepare for any contingency."

Jacob knew that even Jasper could not believe such a claim but that only illustrated how desperate he was to make things right. He listened to the muffled musicians tune and handed the weapons back.

"Sounds like we just need to get Edward a helmet," he said.

They all laughed at this and it occurred to Bella then that at no time in history had three vampires and a manwolf been so concerned about a human's health. Edward was truly loved.

Jasper changed the subject. "How was your trip?" he asked Jacob.

"My best visit yet," Jacob reported, "and Little Spoon had a wonderful time."

"Little Spoon?" Bella's dark thin eyebrows made tee-pees above her eyes. "You finally got a nickname to stick?"

"That's right," he paused, "Cannonball." He smiled wickedly at Bella, her shoulders slumping at the weight of Alice and Jasper's stares.

"Why does he call you Cannonball, Bella?" Alice was sitting on the bed with her legs tucked underneath her.

"We're not talking about me," Bella reminded her with a funny, almost pleading look. "We were talking about Jacob."

"Actually," Jasper interjected, "I think it was technically Rosalie we were discussing."

"Yes it was, and thank you Jasper." Bella did a horrible job of not acting relieved. "Why do you call her Little Spoon?"

Jasper noted that he now had two stories to get out of Bella.

"She likes to curl up in front of me when she sleeps," Jacob said with a hint of pink in his cheeks. "She spoons up against me and purrs all night."

"Spooning leads to forking," Alice said matter-of-factly.

The room fell silent except for the pit twittering that filtered through the wall behind Bella's bed. She had time to think that Edward was right on the other side of it, sitting at the piano and providing tuning notes before the room erupted in laughter. Jacob's booming bravado was even heard by Edward on the other side of the wall but he did not notice it for what it was.

Alice was smiling broadly, proud of her deadpan delivery while Jasper wiped tears from his eyes. He liked funny women and Alice was becoming more and more appealing to him. She was cute as a blue button but still made Jasper uneasy with her sporadic behavior.

Jacob and Bella were belly laughing. Alice had noticed long ago that they laughed similarly, big barking blasts of sound that were a little un-dainty for Bella but somehow suited a woman of her strength. Laughter is learned and Bella's first times of real laughter occurred when she spent two decades with Jacob in the caves near his Spanish home. She picked up his laugh like she picked up his loyalty.

"Wait!" Bella turned to Jacob. "Does she call you Big Spoon?" She was holding her hands together under her chin in a hopeful gesture that could not have been more obvious if she was batting her eyelashes.

They waited.

"Yes." Jacob wanted to sound proud but it came out defiant and that got them all laughing again.

When the last sniffle was sniffed and the last chuckle chucked, Jacob addressed the room. "Bella and I have a show to do, so if you'll excuse me." He was acting hurt but only to play the humor to its full effect. He walked up the stairs with a wave to Bella that turned into him pointing toward her washroom and she nodded.

"Are you two ready?" Bella asked them when she was sure Jacob was immersed in the theatre sounds upstairs, his heavy footfalls above their heads another indicator of his proximity.

"We still need to gather a few things around here but other than that we're ready to go," Alice told her.

"I really appreciate this," Bella said with warm eyes. "I know it would be a lot easier if I did it but I just don't have the time."

"We're happy to help," Jasper said. "Besides, we could use the exercise."

"Well, don't get caught," Bella warned. "There is security on the ground."

Alice smiled.

"And don't kill anybody over there," Bella added, in a serious tone, knowing that smile.

"Don't worry Bella," Jasper reassured her. "We will not be hungry."

Alice and Jasper collected the things they needed and left together up the spiral stairs calling a goodbye to Bella. She had about forty minutes until curtain and that was just enough time to get ready. She hoped that Edward had a good show and would not get a headache down in that noisy pit.

She worked on her hair but waited to put on her make-up until after she heard the familiar squeaking sound coming from her washroom that told her Jacob had already attended to some pre-show duties. She sat on her bed while she applied her base and rouge, the dark wood frame creasing her leg because the bedspread was gone.

* * *

Edward was relaxed despite the last minute instructions Laurent communicated as everyone warmed up. He could hear the murmur of the rapidly growing audience and could hardly believe that two weeks ago he sat in this theatre for the first time, falling in love with Bella the moment he heard her voice. He was self conscious about his turban wrapped head but he remembered Carlisle's words, telling him that vanity could take a seat with the rest of the crowd.

When the lights went down in the auditorium Edward felt every hair on his body tingle with current. When Laurent raised his white drum stick Edward readied himself, a left hand C chord was his first contribution to the evening's affairs.

Edward missed seeing Bella but her voice was a silk scarf of sound that wound its way around him as he played for her. Several times during the performance she sang to little more than his keystrokes, the two of them creating delicate duets.

Edward could see round faces in the balconies, Laurent and Milo pounding away at their respective instruments and, if he turned his head, some of the musicians in the string section. It was a limited view but he relished every detail. Laurent had new white and blue beads in his hair, Milo kept pushing his glasses up on his nose and there was a shadow of his head bandages intruding on the left side of his music. All these things captivated him.

There were a few numbers that did not require any piano so Edward sat on the edge of Laurent's platform and watched Bella sing and dance to the rapid but precisely controlled Spanish guitar. From his perch, Edward could admire Bella's lean legs and her less modest dress was a gush of frilly fabrics that she pulled on and shook from time to time. The girls on either side of her mimicked her dance steps but he barely noticed them.

Every time she looked at him his heart sang with desire and his head swam with the possibility of making love to her again. Beth, Julie and their counterparts flitted around Bella as the rhythmic music pulsed their movement and Edward's longing. He felt like he was a balloon being filled with too much air and yet he could not breathe. He was entranced by the curls swirling around her beautiful face as she sang the sultry Spanish words.

The musicians around him were focused but fun loving and had a good time as they let the songs pull them together in performance. Edward's forearms were sore despite his strict practice regimen the days preceding the show. By the time he heard Bella grant a rare encore they were burning.

Jacob was the first to congratulate him on his inaugural performance but his motive was obvious as he peered down at the bandages and made Edward look him in the eyes as they spoke.

"I was cleared to go out by my father Jacob," Edward told him. "I'm fine."

'I know you are, Swami," he replied. "You played with spunk."

Laurent came over and the three men chatted while the room cleared of patrons. Bella had retired to her back room and Edward did not expect her come out until everyone was gone.

Everyone except for him.

And Jacob.

But Jacob did not count.

Edward was aware of a line of perspiration that anchored his shirt to his back. It was cold against his skin and made him shiver.

Shivering reminded him of Bella.

The rest of the pit crew departed quickly and even Jacob disappeared. Edward had just enough time to turn to the double doors at the back of the stage before they opened and Bella stepped out, looking magnificent. She was wearing dark tight fitting clothes which left little to Edward's imagination. The hue of her clothing immediately told him one thing. They were going out tonight.

Edward was also dressed in dark attire, a convenient requirement of his employment in the orchestra. As he watched Bella approach he smiled at the thought of the added benefit his dark clothing provided him – it was a guarantee they could move through the nighttime skies undetected. Over the course of the evening, she had been dropping hints about returning somewhere and he had wondered if they would be grounded by her bodyguard.

Watching her now, he saw that she was positively ready to fly.

"I take it things went well with Jacob?" Edward asked as she slid in close to him. Her light contact was not enough and he found himself pushing his hips against hers. Bella's eyes darkened and they both moaned slightly as their bodies pressed together.

"Better than I expected actually." Bella was telling the truth. She had prepared for a volcanic eruption and still had not ruled it out completely because Jacob had been denied time alone with her since returning with Rosalie. Bella spun around, pressing her back side into Edward's front side and pulled his arms around her neck, his fingers laced between her breasts.

"Hold on," Bella said as she turned them both around and ran out to the edge of the stage. Edward was gripping her by the shoulders and squeezing her waist with his knees by the time she jumped off and flew out over the empty seats.

They set down in front of the lobby doors and Bella peeked around the corner before stepping out. Edward thought this was peculiar.

"Jacob doesn't know we're leaving does he?" Edward asked, positive that he had successfully sniffed out the scenario.

"Not exactly." Bella moved quickly to the lobby door and unlocked it, listening intently as the sound of the thrown lock echoed in the three chandeliered entrance hall. She then quickly stepped outside pulling Edward with her in a comedy of errors as he hit the adjacent glass door and bounced off it with a tremendous bong.

Bella did not bother to listen for a reaction to that. She locked the door, pocketed the key, and dashed to the alley separating her building from the co-op art studio and bakery next door. She pulled Edward into a fervid embrace, complete with probing kiss and kneading hands and took off into the night.

Bella felt radiant, more importantly, she felt in control. And that meant she could enjoy herself with Edward. She flew toward the Eiffel Tower gaining altitude and giving Edward goose bumps as the air cooled and then warmed again.

She flew Edward twice as high as the Tower itself before dropping in on the upper deck from the North. Edward could easily see that she had prepared for their arrival. Bella's puffy white bedspread had been placed on the raised wooden platform that acted as a promenade between the whizzing and clicking science experiments. Several glass jars were cheerfully burning fat candles as they surrounded the ten by ten foot oasis of soft cloth.

Bella dropped to her knees and started untying Edward's shoes. He watched the top of her head and felt the heat rise in his face, among other things.

The night was far milder than the windy concert they received upon their first visit. As a result, Edward was not the slightest bit cold as Bella stripped him from the waist down before standing up to attend to his shirt.

She almost left his socks on.

"Can this come off?" she asked as she tugged his bandages.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous for you?" Edward wanted nothing more than to be rid of the cumbersome thing before making love to Bella but, out of both love and fear, he did not want to expose Bella to a healing wound.

Bella's surprising reaction was a small laugh. She had, after all, been the one who found him bleeding on the sidewalk. At first she had screamed because he was hurt and she was too scared to help him but a revelation quickly came to her. She knew that accepting Jasper's sample of vampire blood earlier in the evening kept her from reflexively descending on Edward. Now, although she could feel the first stirring of hunger pains returning, Bella knew his injury would not put them in danger.

She reached up to the bandages and unraveled them from his head. Her hands were delicate but efficient and the sight of his matted hair and bruised scalp was an injury all her own. He was so fragile but so stubborn. She felt that this was a deadly combination as far as he was concerned.

When Edward was devoid of all clothing, Bella motioned for him to sit on the bedspread. She watched as he carefully stepped over a candle and nestled into the think soft cloth leaning back on his elbows. As he looked up at Bella she began to undress, slowly.

She rolled her stockings down one by one, keeping her legs straight and bending at the waist. She threw them onto the pile of Edward's clothes and reached around behind her back to untie her dress. She kept strict eye contact with Edward as she worked the loose bow at her back and pulled her arms out.

She kept her breasts covered for a moment and then dropped the dress to her hips where it clung stubbornly. As she leaned forward to push the garment down with both hands Edward's eyes widened. She was performing for him.

The moist air caressed her almost naked body as she stood in front of her wide eyed lover. She felt the tickle of the soft breeze move through her legs and up her narrow back.

When she stepped out of the frilly fabric only a modest scrap of white silk remained and that had been pushed down her waist when the dress came off. She helped it along with a quick tug that ripped the fragile under thing from her body. Seeing the aggressive move made Edward spring to life as her hunger for him was a powerful aphrodisiac. It was nearly impossible for him to resist touching her. He needed her.

Edward still thought like a virgin. He wanted to pinch himself just to make sure that he was not dreaming about the vampire girl who flew him to the top of the Eiffel Tower and ruthlessly ripped off her unmentionables in order to expose herself to him.

He stared at the space where the curve of her hips flattened out just before plunging to the junction between her thighs and the shadow of curls there. Her breasts were beautiful, round and capped with hard nipples that made Edward even more anxious for contact.

He was excited to see Bella so focused and so determined to have him. He would have even been nervous if she had given him the time.

She stepped over the same candle Edward had and walked over to the prone naked man. She placed a foot on either side of his chest and allowed him to regard the towering woman above him. He begged her with his eyes to come closer. She knelt down between his legs and folded herself onto him.

They lay in a square cloud ringed with fire a thousand feet in the air. The sky was a billion winks of light as Edward looked into the void. He imagined that he was in a great woven basket and that the stars were light coming through the gaps in the weave. He was living the life of a god but the throbbing in his head reminded him that he was fragile at best. The throbbing he felt lower down reminded him that he was in bed with a sublime woman he admired as much as he lusted after.

As he hardened between Bella breasts, she gingerly adjusted him for comfort and cradled him between squeezed flesh as she pressed herself into his abdomen, layering his chest with kisses.

The night air helped Edward trace the path Bella took over his body by cooling the moist marks she left behind. Her lips brushed against quivering stomach muscles as she lowered her body. She savored the feeling of her breasts falling between his open thighs and against the cool bedspread.

She looked down at the intimidating obstacle between her and his belly button. A smooth and stiff shaft of flesh topped with a shiny cleft hid the small oval swirl in his stomach wall. She had never been so happy that she could hold her breath as when she took the tantalizing rounded mouthful in. She nursed his flesh along with his moans and whimpers that descended from above. Her brown curls were spilled all over his tightening thighs, delicately tickling his skin. She was obsessed with keeping her teeth away from him and also learned that using her hand while she sat up and looked him in the eyes was very effective. She loved how awestruck he looked, and how gorgeous he was. He fit into her hands so well and she even liked the candy apple feeling of him in her mouth but she was aching for a return of the deep filling she had a week prior.

Edward must have read her mind because he grabbed her waist, not too gently, and pulled her on top of him. Bella responded by tilting her hips to meet him and eased herself down onto him. The sensation of him spreading her apart and entering her velvet was enough to make her gasp loudly. Likewise, Edward was overcome with the silk squeezing that sent heat flashes down his arms and legs. He broke into a light sweat as he pushed up over and over again. She arched her back, her milk white breasts an offering to the Paris sky.

She thought his movements would never cease and when they briefly did she was almost relieved. The intensity of this encounter had already exceeded their previous time together. Bella lost herself in the feeling of his massive warmth. More than once, she stayed his movements and wiggled slightly. She watched with delight as the action always made his dreamy eyes clear up or flutter open if they were closed. She was building up an enormous reservoir of tingles that threatened to explode inside her any moment. As she began to move over him a final time, the intense feeling overtook her and she was washed with pleasure. Again and again she convulsed with a shudder that accompanied her climaxes.

Edward was in heaven as he watched the pale beauty writhe on him and cry out into the still early morning air. When he moved his hips extra hard upwards to meet her, he frequently earned a special gasp. It was a beautiful sound of surprise mingled with even more surprise. He liked watching himself disappear in her wisp of fine hairs as Bella lowered herself down, only to reemerge slick and hungry for more.

They did not speak to each other like they had on the first night, their eyes communicating with a purpose and raw emotion that could not be captured with words. Edward cupped her breasts as she leaned forward to kiss him. The firm flesh in his outstretched hands was a delight to his sense of touch, the skin covering them was as soft as water.

They were one now, their bodies fusing together effortlessly.

Edward rolled Bella over so that she was now looking up at the billions of gaps in the basket of night that cradled the world. She watched his face as he poured his fire back into her, delighting in the feel of every detail of him inside her. She cherished the moment as she realized how at peace she felt. Bella was relaxed and placed her hands above her head. She looked to one side and took in the night. Distant lights sat like islands in a black ocean of dark land. Edward took the opportunity to devour her neck with his kisses.

Bella was rocked into ecstasy and thought she felt the tower shake with his powerful thrusts. He moved with unceasing energy even as his hair escorted small beads of perspiration to drop onto Bella's breasts. Soon her pleasure was so great she locked her powerful legs behind him, applying pressure to keep Edward in place. As her grip on him tightened, he wondered briefly if she was going to lose control and snap his back. Instead of stopping her, he used the slight pain to prolong his performance.

He became more and more aggressive as his own building forces gathered, propelling him into a frenzy of kissing and nuzzling. Bella joined him and soon they were a tangle of animal urges. Edward found her ear and filled Bella's head with the sound of his harsh breathing as he took it into his mouth and explored it with his tongue.

When he brought his mouth back toward hers, she playfully sucked and pulled on his bottom lip. She was so happy. For the first time, she was not worried about killing him. She could hear his blood rushing beneath his skin but it did not bother her, it only enhanced the experience. Her senses were so heightened, she could almost taste his coppery sweet blood in her mouth and it did not….

She _could_ taste his coppery sweet blood in her mouth. She must have nipped his lip a little too hard and drew blood.

Bella's eyes widened, as she felt her body begin to react to the taste of Edward's blood.

She slowly pushed Edward away from her body and stood up. She stepped over a candle jar and walked over to the metal railing. She was moving slowly but deliberately. Edward saw the blood on her lips and felt the sting when the night air licked his tiny abrasion. He remained very still, sitting on the bedspread, knowing that it was one thing for her to endure his scent or even his touch. But now that she had actually tasted his blood?

It made him her potential prey.

Bella leaned forward and rested her head on the cool metal railing. Edward resisted the urge to take advantage of the position. She was suffering and he was unable to comfort her. The thought started to bring back all the inadequacies he felt. He wanted to be everything to Bella but had to trust his feelings that he was not ready to give up his human life. He wondered if he was being selfish. He wondered if he was being stupid. He wondered if he was not going to be given the choice in a few seconds.

Bella turned around and walked back over to Edward. He watched her naked body glide over the wooden surface of the platform and step back into his warm circle of light. He remained motionless, his face expressing concern. Bella heard his heart beating fast and she wondered if he was concerned for her wellbeing or his.

Edward was in turmoil, his desire to have her again fighting with his desire to live. Should he just lay there and let her decide his fate? Or should he get up and put more distance between them? He tried to read her face but gathered, at best, that she was undecided.

Each step she took toward him was an erotic beckon and a potential death sentence.

She was only slightly less worried than he was but prayed that her love for him would disallow her any indulgence of her vampire instincts. She could still taste the blood, and could smell it fresh in the cruel still air. Bella knelt down between his legs and Edward observed she was keeping her distance from his face. He was frozen as he waited for Bella to advance on him. As she leaned forward and swallowed his hard flesh while gripping and pumping him with strong hands, Edward cried out in surprise and pleasure.

As he leaned back to gasp up at the watching stars, his head struck the bedspread with an uncomfortable force. Edward surrendered to her unsure if she would act on sinister urges.

He was helpless to stop her.

Bella was determined to release a flood of pleasure from him and a pacifying rush of warmth for her. She enjoyed her milking and was watching Edward's ever tightening thighs as he grew closer and closer to his _Petit Mort. _When his entire body shook and he called out her name, Bella closed her eyes and savored the spring of passion. Edward arched his back and held his breath until his world became blurry. The ringing in his ears was as loud to him as the pounding of his heart was to Bella. She enjoyed the exotic texture and was sated beyond her wildest dreams by his seed. She had been ready to fly away at the first hint that she would sink her teeth into his glorious stem but, thankfully, that particular desire was overtaken by her passion for this man.

Bella placed her head on his chest and allowed herself to become hypnotized by his thundering heart. She enjoyed the heat coming off of his body in waves and thought again how much she would miss it when he became like her. She knew, one day, she would mourn the physical loss of his body heat and his pulse. She also knew, however, that his heart would always beat for her, even if she stopped it.

His voice hummed in his chest as he spoke to her. "That was the best thing that has ever happened to me." Edward looked down at her upturned face, a look of confused contentment on his. "I was scared the whole time." He did not wish to upset her with his confession. He merely wanted to be honest with her.

"Me too," Bella admitted.

The candles flickered around them as the morning wound the world against the clock. The dawn was a smear of purple in the East but Bella and Edward did not stir until it grew to include shades of green and yellow.

They dressed quietly, Bella finishing first and blowing out candles while she waited for Edward. "We're leaving these candles here," she said.

"We can't do that," Edward protested.

"Well I'm not getting hot wax all over my nice bedspread," she replied, "especially since you're going in there."

"I'm what?" Edward was tying his last shoe as Bella gathered her puffy white comforter.

"That's right my little caterpillar." She made a little opening for him to climb into as she held the edges of the giant cocoon. Edward felt silly about doing so, but knew there was no time to argue with her about it. The sunrise was dangerously close. He climbed inside trying to look forward to what would be an interesting trip home.

Bella closed the sling and carried Edward home like a chick in an egg. He lounged in the custom carriage and tried not to think of what would happen if the fabric tore. Bella was a silent conductor and so he had only the murmur of air travel to accompany him home.

By the time they arrived at his balcony, he was asleep.

Bella tucked him into his bed without waking him, leaving her bedspread behind.

She would see him at rehearsal later that day and kissed each eyelid as he lay peacefully in his own small bed. Bella then returned to the theatre.

She missed sunrise by only fifteen minutes.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**If you haven't signed up to participate in Fandom Gives Back, please remember that the three lemons I am writing won't be published elsewhere. A very small pledge of $5 is all it takes to get these juicy love sessions between Jacob and Rosalie. **

**If you contact, the team leader, April (email is aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com or tweet her (at)aRedi) to pledge, you will be a part of something big this June and you will read:**

**Swing Low Sweet Chariot**

**Up On the Roof**

**and Nightswimming**

**Also, there is a link on my Author's page that will allow you to hear the entire song Edward sang for Bella in Chapter Seven.**

**Thank you all for the kind words. I can't deny the satisfaction I feel when you share your thoughts.**

**MOG**


	13. Chapter 13: Sunshine

**Disclaimer:**

**Did I mention that I don't own Twilight?**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Sunshine**

Bella breezed through the theatre like smoke and went down into her bedroom.

Jacob, arms crossed and foot tapping, was waiting for her next to one of the brick pillars.

"Good Morning," he said, flatly. He was trying to sound angry but his eyes showed only pain. "I was hoping to speak to you after the show. I had to deal with your dinner first, but you knew that didn't you?"

"Actually," Bella said honestly, "I didn't know where you went. I thought I was lucky."

Jacob's face darkened. "You were."

He sighed heavily and walked over to the bed. He made no comment about the missing bedspread as he put his face in his hands and waited for the emotion to pass. He was all too aware that outside the sun was gathering forces and readying an invasion. Bella had never returned so late and he had allowed fear to swallow his anger along with his hope.

Jacob ran on hope. It was the well he drew from when times were bad, and there were more bad times than good in his life. Times where he spent decades wishing for death and was kept alive by one thing, hope. Until this morning, he did not know how easily he could lose it all.

It was as easy as losing Bella.

He was in love with Rosalie, but Bella was his anchor. His constant friend and, in time, the one he would turn to when he buried his Little Spoon in the ground.

Several hours after the end of Bella's performance, Jacob began to worry about her whereabouts. He left the theatre to search for her but the only place he knew to go was Notre Dame. He walked there so he could listen to the night without the additional noisy rattle of a carriage and he knew from experience that his sudden transformations spooked horses, for good reason.

He did not go into the church. He did not have to. When he arrived, he pulled his pants off quickly in the shadow of the looming roof peaks. His shirt followed suit and he sprinted naked alongside the building.

There was a tremendous and unavoidable series of cracking sounds that accompanied his shifting into wolf form. Over time, Jacob had developed a clever way of using the bone crunching sounds to his advantage. He discovered that by making the change on the run and silently perching in cover, he would inevitably draw a curious investigator. When he wanted to hunt as a wolf it was a great way of bringing his prey to him. When he wanted stealth, Jacob just held his transformation until the last minute even though that usually meant the last thing anyone saw was a great big naked man running at them. But when he wanted to make sure he was not followed or, in this night's case to see if anyone was in the church, it was a great way to survey a threat first.

Tonight there were no signs of life. Or vampires.

Jacob had been to Notre Dame before but never in wolf form and when he sprang from the low platforms in the back of the structure to the high gargoyle littered spires toward the front he made no noise. He chose a spot where a French Revolution ballistic had struck a gargoyle and left only the feet of the stone guardian behind.

He became a statue, one of many dog shaped onlookers, fixing their gaze and staying their spring. If he had chosen in that moment to look up and out at the city he might have noticed the movement on top of the Eiffel Tower. Surely the flicker of candlelight might have caught his keen eye, but he was focused on the task at hand and his powerful ears were doing most of his observing.

It had been a big waste of time.

As Jacob sat there, he began wondering if Bella had returned home. Perhaps she was injured and now he was not there to help her. The nagging thought ate away at his resolve until he leapt down and scooped his clothes up in his mouth. Jacob stayed the way he was, near panicked by the certainty that Bella had shown up hurt only moments after he left and had been calling his name for the last hour.

He glided through the city like a shadow's lover and used the alley Bella took off from to change back to human form. The loud cracking sounds made neighborhood dogs bark and he cursed their distraction as he listened for the labored sound of his wounded friend's tortured movement. He heard nothing but would not be satisfied until he searched the entire building. She might not be moving.

He went downstairs and into the tunnel to confirm that Alice still had not come home. He never had to wander far into the passage to determine if Alice was present or not. Alice made a lot of noise.

Next, Jacob went up into his apartment thinking that Bella could have crawled her way up the stairs in a desperate last attempt to locate him. She was not there. There was nothing left to do but go down to her bedroom and wait.

He sat down right where he was now, without hope, and wept until his body quivered with the desire to explode into a wolf again. He filled his huge hands with salty sorrow but calmed himself with practiced discipline and distracted himself with her many books but the dawn's rapid approach tore his heart from his chest and let the air leak from his lungs.

He did not realize how far he had indulged his imagination until he heard her come in through the lobby door. He shuddered with relief, his hand flying to his mouth to stifle his cry as tears spilled down his face again.

Jacob tried to let all that go now that Bella was back home safe and standing right in front of him, Instead, his palms began to speckle with tear drops of grief mingled with joy as he sat on the bare mattress. He waited for the pain to be siphoned away.

Bella was giddy with the fruits of passion but understood at once the toll she had charged her dearest friend. Her upper lip twitched and her lower lip began to tremble.

"Jacob." The weight of his worry was an unwelcome consequence of her time with Edward and Bella bravely surrendered the balloon of blissful emotions to accept the depth of her deception. "What have I done?"

She knelt down in front of him and pulled his wet face from his hands.

Initially, when Bella had left the theatre she was just having a bit of fun and knew Jacob would be fired up by it. But she had not considered his very real concern at her disappearance. She should have at least asked Alice to fill him in after she and Jasper returned from setting up the romantic scene on top of the tower. At least then he would know that they were unlikely to run into any more vampires.

"I promise that I will never do this to you again," she said, feeling cold tears rise in her bottom eyelids.

Jacob nodded, his hair getting mussed by Bella's fingers as she held his head in a loose grip. He knew that if he spoke it would trigger a torrent of tears and he was done crying for the night. Bella was home. He stood up and engulfed her in a hug that warmed her body and made her feel horribly guilty.

"I'm so sorry Jacob." Bella's voice was muffled by his shirt as she pressed her face into his chest. "We went to the Tower to be alone. I should have told you."

Jacob nodded his head, the gesture only felt by Bella. "I'm glad you're alright," he said thickly.

Bella took a step back and looked up at him. "How are you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine." He smiled down at her. "Did you two have a good time?"

"We did," she said, opting to only confirm facts and not elaborate. "And I trust the palace was _bon_?"

"We didn't want to leave," he replied, welcoming Bella's attempt to distract him from his fear and sorrow, focusing his thoughts back to happy memories of Versailles.

Part of the previous night's conversation came back to Bella. "Did she really beat you at chess?"

"Quite handily," he said with a grave nod of his head, "the third time," he added quickly.

"You're good though," she answered.

"Tell me about it," Jacob laughed. "I think you should challenge her."

"Not yet," Bella said. "I want her to play more first. It's only fair to allow her to develop her game."

"I'm taking her shopping for a table today," he said proudly.

"Yes? When are you doing that?"

"When they return from church."

"You should find an outdoor table so she can play in the garden," Bella suggested.

"That's a great idea!" He almost shouted.

"Thank you…and…I'm really sorry, Jacob," she said lowering her head.

Jacob raised Bella's chin with a finger. He stared at her for several moments and she could tell he was choosing his next words carefully. When he spoke she listened, without interruption, to every word he had to say.

"I know I come across as too overprotective at times, Bella, but you are the dearest friend I will ever have." He took a measured breath, this was going to be more difficult that he had realized as tears were already lining up behind his eyes. "I've never known you to take such risks and it terrifies me," he continued. "I understand that you are in love and that it's overwhelming and exciting, but Edward is human and he has been hurt more than once already." Jacob was gentle since he knew that these words held a terrible truth for her, but speaking difficult words gently sometimes packed more of a punch. "If you continue as you have, sooner or later, his luck will run out. I know you don't want anything more to happen to him, and neither would Rosalie or Carlisle or Esme. Please remember we are all counting on you to keep him safe. Please remember I need you safe as well."

Bella was rendered speechless by Jacob's quiet and heartfelt words. She hugged him tightly once more and he felt her body begin to shake with quiet sobs. Knowing that his message had been heard, it was now Jacob's turn to comfort her.

"It's okay Bella really," he said, rubbing smooth circles on her back. "You were just getting me back for calling you Cannonball in front of Alice and Jasper."

"Oh that's right," she sniffed, her shaking sobs were now invaded by two snorts of laughter as she remembered. "Alice isn't going to leave it alone either and it's such a stupid name."

She pulled back from Jacob and offered him a bashful smile.

"Bella," Jacob folded his arms over his chest, "if you're going to spend the better part of a century sleeping on the ocean floor, I'm going to call you Cannonball."

Bella rolled her eyes, too fatigued emotionally and physically to retort. "I really need some sleep."

"I couldn't agree more," he said and, with a gentle kiss on each cheek, was gone without another word.

Jacob entered his attic apartment a few moments later. He watched through his small square window as the sun bathed the tip of the Eiffel Tower in bright but deadly sunshine.

* * *

Less than four hours later, Edward opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling in his room. He did not remember how he had gotten back home but recalled the rocking back and forth motion of his cocoon. It must have put him out like a baby and Bella had carried him like a stork carries a newborn. He smiled at the memory then allowed himself to travel further back in time to the evening on the tower. He continued his journey and slowly thought back over every detail of the past two weeks.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Edward had fallen in love with the beautiful, Bella Swan. Singer. Dancer. Vampire. He had lied to his family about his injured arm to protect some unknown secret. He had fought with Jacob and called Bella a liar when she explained the nature of her existence. He had kissed her in his bed and been naked with her in his room. He had made love to her twice. He continued to omit truths from his family to protect Bella, Jacob, Alice and Jasper. He was actively engaged with the internal struggle of whether or not to end his human life and become an immortal like her. He had witnessed the slaying of three vampires inside the walls of Notre Dame. And, last but not least, he had gambled - albeit with his father's permission.

He sat up suddenly in bed, worried and nervous.

"I need to go to church," Edward said out loud.

He pulled his clothes off as he went into his washroom and looked into the mirror. He needed a shave but did not have the time. Church would be starting within the hour if he read the sun's angle right and, since he could smell what could only be his mother's strawberry stuffed French toast, he might even get a little breakfast first.

Edward splashed his face with water and went back into his room where he picked out a white cotton shirt and put it on. He chose light gray trousers with attached suspenders which he pulled over his shoulders and then put on black socks and shoes. He threw an obligatory hand through his hair with no real attempt to tame it as he walked down to greet the day.

Walking down the stone steps and past the family portrait, Edward could see bands of bright morning slicing into the large room. He walked through the parlor and the dining room and found his entire family in the kitchen. They were nearly done with their meal but Edward could see several pregnant slices of yellow and brown spotted bread dutifully waiting for him on the counter.

"Good morning," Edward said. He was tired, but he was eighteen and youth had a way of absorbing those nights where sleep was traded for wonder.

"Good Morning." Esme toasted him with her coffee.

"Morning." Rosalie toasted him with a forkful of breakfast.

Carlisle lowered his paper and nodded. "Son." He then raised it again…then lowered it once more. "Where are your bandages?"

Edward froze mid-seating. "Uh…" his body unlocked and he finished his sentence after he sat down at the table. "I washed up this morning and just haven't put new ones on again." He reached for a creamer filled with confectioner's sugar Esme made herself.

"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked.

"I feel really good Dad," Edward said unable to hide the smile that overtook his face. "In fact, I was planning on attending church today."

"Oh good! We can all go together." Esme smiled.

"Don't overdo it. Your mother said you have three lessons today," Carlisle responded.

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Is it scabbed over?" Carlisle asked.

"Not at the table, Dad." Rosalie's eyes did a double loop.

Edward nodded his head at his father and, after a quick once over, Carlisle told him he could abstain from the dressings for the purposes of church but that he may want to consider rewrapping it before his lessons began.

"Keeping a tight wrap is important for the first week Edward," he reminded his son. "That means you have three more days where I want it on for at least half the day and all night."

"Yes, Dad." Edward wished he had known that before he showed up at his first performance as a paid musician looking like he had a basket of laundry on his head.

In the distance, the family could hear church bells from a dozen cathedrals around the city. "We better get going." Esme was the time keeper in the family.

Edward finished his breakfast while Esme cleared the table. Rosalie tampered with her hair and Carlisle pulled the Cullen carriage around to the back door. Unlike Jacob's carriage, Carlisle's conveyance was not covered. It was more like a buggy than a coach and it had two benches with a dip in the sides between them so they all could climb in and out.

The Cullen buggy was pulled by one horse, Jessica. She mostly white with smears of grey. Rosalie observed that Edward was dressed to match the horse as soon as they walked outside. Edward was not amused by his sister's smug statement. Carlisle thought it was a riot.

"Sorry, Son," he said as Edward climbed up and sat next to him on the front bench. The ladies were seated behind and slightly below the men as it normally protected them from wind and dust. On a gorgeous day like the one unfolding before them, they had nothing to worry about except the sun's generous rays. As always, the Cullen women were armed with parasols.

The sound of the horse's clops on the stone avenue shuffled in with all the other street noises that blanketed Paris on a busy Sunday morning. Studying his son from the corner of his eye, Carlisle spoke to Edward man-to-man.

"You've been seriously injured twice in as many weeks, Edward."

"I know, Dad." Edward still felt the occasional twinge in his mending shoulder and, only yesterday, his head had throbbed so badly he wished to be unconscious once more. "But they were both accidents. Surely, you see that no malice was intended. In fact, Bella saved me both times."

Carlisle was puzzled. "Edward, I don't think Bella was involved. Where would you get that idea?"

Edward was dumbstruck. His paranoia had now put him at risk of having his father discover the secrets he was trying to hide. He swallowed hard. Twice. The active air suddenly seemed silent. He felt like laughing but the thought turned his stomach into a writhing pit of worry and thankfully quenched the desire to explode in a gale of hoots.

Time was measured in the steam rising from the grass on the hill they approached and Edward finally opened his mouth to put himself out of his misery.

"I just want you to like her," he said then cleared his throat of trepidation. "I know I'm in love and I know she is too, Dad. I've been worried about telling you and Mom how serious things were getting. That's all."

Carlisle stared at Jessica's flapping mane. "I just wanted you to be more careful," he said letting his smile slip too early. Edward knew he was smiling just by the tone of his father's voice and that lifted a galaxy of weight off of his already battered shoulders.

"Oh," Edward replied thoughtfully. "Well, never mind then," he joked back.

"Your mother and I love Bella," Carlisle spoke with confidence. "And we love Jacob too." He did not raise his voice very much at the latter comment although his head cocked back indicating that he was addressing Rosalie and confirming what he had already suspected. The stark silence from the back bench meant that the ladies had been leaning forward to hear the discussion.

"Thank you, Papa," Rosalie called. Carlisle beamed at his daughter, the endearing term used nonstop during her childhood was now only reserved for the most special of moments.

* * *

The church the Cullens attended was _Sacre-Coeur_ (Sacred Heart) and was located at the summit of _Montmartre_, a perfectly round thirty story hill on the Right Bank. The white domed basilica could be seen from all over the city sitting on a lush green sloping riser.

Someone with less taste might describe the sight as an erect white nipple on a giant green breast.

As a child, Edward could remember hearing the story of Saint Denis, who was beheaded on the hill. It was rumored that he picked up his own head and walked several miles away before finally dropping to the ground lifeless. The termination of his final journey now marked a border of Paris. The hill had been named for Mars, _Mont Mars,_ but was later changed to celebrate the martyr. The story always seemed morose to Edward and attending the church at its summit, while beautiful, always seemed sad to him.

As the Cullens approached the stunning building, Edward was struck with a curious thought, _I wonder if Saint Denis was a vampire. _

He remained pre-occupied with the idea as he trooped inside with the nearly two thousand others in attendance that Sunday morning.

The huge main dome was lined with arched windows that brought natural light onto an immense mosaic, larger than any other in the world. It depicted Jesus Christ standing in front of the golden Arc of the Covenant with his arms outstretched, as angels looked on. The picture was made whole by millions of colored stones. Stones so tiny that from the ground they could hardly be seen. The Cullens always sat underneath it.

The service was a hypnotic affair, complete with incense and chanting. The congregation obediently rose and fell with the cadence of the sacrament. Edward constantly found himself moving a little behind as he was either focused in prayer or staring at the nuns.

Improper though it may have been, seeing the grey clad women took Edward back to his very first night on the Eiffel Tower. Bella had told him that she had grown up as a nun. She had kissed him with passion and said she would gladly take a seat in Hell just to be loved by him. Edward felt moisture appear at his temples as it dawned on him that he had taken a _nun's_ virginity.

He watched their silent movements and procedural prayer intently until he began to see Bella's face under the folded veils. As his emotions overwhelmed him, Edward closed his eyes and put his head down on the back of the pew in front of him.

He took the opportunity to examine the recent developments in his life, and ask for guidance in making the proper decisions concerning his unique situation. He did not go to confession but apologized to God if making love to Bella was sinful. He argued that theirs was a special love that deserved equally special consideration. He prayed for wisdom to know what to do and for the courage to do it.

Next to him, Rosalie seemed unusually reverent and he wondered if she knew what Jacob's secret was. Maybe she was even facing similar circumstances. He had grown apart form his sister at her adolescent urging, but he suspected that they would soon develop an adult relationship that left petty sibling rivalries behind.

Once he had finished with his reflection and prayers, Edward spent the rest of the service focusing on the other love of his life, music. The Cullens sang well together, Esme and Rosalie dipping into harmonies while the men lent what baritone they had to the lower notes. By the time they left it was nearly ninety degrees outside. It would be remembered as the last truly hot day of that summer.

When they arrived home, Jacob was waiting to take Rosalie to the _marché aux puces _but Esme made them come in first so they could all have something to drink. Carlisle, who had to continue on to work, waved to them and disappeared down the hill.

* * *

A few minutes after Noon, there was a knock at the front door.

Edward was up in his room changing into a loose shirt with sleeves he could roll up and did not hear the arrival of his first student, Clementine, and her mother, Delilah.

Clementine was a thoughtful little girl, just twelve but she had a sharp mind and that, coupled with a seasoned musical touch, made her stand out. She had curly blonde hair that she wore with purple silk ribbons. They reminded Edward of the loveseats in Bella's dressing room. Clem was also delightfully piquant, just enough to remind Edward of his sister who happened to like the girl very much.

Esme told Clem, as she was known, to wait for Edward in the parlor while she turned and opened the front doors. A gentle breeze piloted through the hallway and out into the garden. It was astoundingly welcome to all. She then led Delilah to the garden where Jacob and Rosalie were discussing something private, their heads close together and their hands laced. They separated when the two ladies entered through the glass doors from the main entrance.

Rosalie had thought of chess and little else since her return from Versailles and when she told her father about her new passion he was very pleased. Carlisle happened to know that Emmett considered himself quite a player and a match between him and Rosalie was sure to be entertaining. He gave Rosalie one hundred francs and slipped his wife a hundred more the night before in case she wanted to go with them to the market.

Esme decided to give the couple their time alone, stay to converse with Delilah, and make a hundred francs for the effort. She politely declined Delilah's offer to go upstairs to Edward's room and fetch him and inwardly marveled at the endless ways in which the women visiting her home pursued her son.

Clem and Edward usually worked for two hours as she was quite an advanced student and had many difficult pieces to learn. When Jacob and Rosalie left Edward was passing them in the main entrance hall, the quick breeze folding his hair.

"Good luck with the hunt, Rose," Edward said as he strode toward the parlor. Delilah spotted him through the garden doors and stood up, ready to rush, gush and blush.

"Thanks Edward," Rosalie said cheerily. "I want a match with you when I return."

"I can't," he replied, turning to face her but walking backwards towards the open parlor door. "I have lessons all day."

"Tonight then." She almost commanded him.

"Can't." He shrugged.

"Why not?" Rosalie shot her hands to her hips fast enough to go to America and gun fight in the Wild West.

"Pit Rehearsal," he and Jacob said together.

Rosalie huffed at him but said, "Tell Clem I'll bring back some chocolate."

"Will do. Good luck." Edward turned in time to enter the parlor but not in time to avoid Delilah whose shoes on the stone entrance floor rang out like gunshots.

* * *

Rosalie sat up front with Jacob on his carriage, something he had now come to expect. On the way to the market, they stopped to buy peaches from a vendor who managed to take advantage of a very shady tree. It allowed him to keep his produce wet which he did with a pail of water and, of all things, a paint brush.

Rosalie had several choices when she roamed the stalls set up by merchants. She squealed when Jacob told her he wanted to buy her a table for her garden and he insisted that he would not stop short of a beautiful stone platform. Rose pointed out to him that a wooden table could be set in the entry hall of her house and brought out when it was time to play, but he shook his head.

"I want you to have a stone table with stone or bone or metal pieces," he said, "and you will really like playing a game when you can sit down."

"I hope I don't lose my touch if I'm not standing on the board," she half joked.

Most of the tables were indeed wooden, but by the time they scoured the merchants she had three to choose from. One was a four legged blue gray granite table with like pieces. Another was a round pedestal table with brushed metal squares set into its white marble surface. The last was a great big stone block with etched vines criss-crossing the surface.

Rosalie liked the block. It was unique and the vines dripped down the side of it like batter. It did not come with playing pieces but Jacob located and purchased a chess set that had one side carved from dark green jade and the other metal plated in brilliant silver.

The table and the set rode home together inside the carriage and when they returned home Jacob placed it in front of the gargoyle bench and then scooted an unused flower pot over and turned it upside down.

"We'll have to get chess chairs next," he said as he squatted on the pot.

"No," Rosalie laughed. "You're cute like that."

Cute or not, Jacob excused himself and returned fifteen minutes later with two darling stone stools that looked like carved mushrooms. Rosalie loved them. She and Jacob spent the next hour arranging the whole garden to complement the new table and stools. They settled on a shady spot in the upper corner near the double glass doors standing open to escort the hot but thankfully active air.

Inside, Edward and Clem were working on Tchaikovsky's _Piano Concerto No. 1_. It was a difficult piece that usually fit into an orchestra but Edward knew that the starts and stops would help her with her rhythm counts. The waterfall like right hand movements were also quite advanced for the young woman but Edward was a demanding teacher, especially when his students were capable of the tasks he assigned.

Clementine was practically a prodigy, gifted beyond even Edward at that age and he was determined to cultivate her talents with challenges and hard work. At one point, he asked her to continue playing as he rose from the instrument and went out into the garden to discuss these thoughts with her mother.

Edward entered the bright square of sunlight that showered the middle part of the garden with yellow highlights and stretched like a cat. Delilah nearly fainted at the sight.

"Mrs. Petrie, I was wondering if we could discuss extra lessons for Clementine?" As he spoke, Clem peppered the parlor with sixteenth notes that were squashed against the window and muted. Meanwhile, other notes followed Edward out the door and inherited an echo from the front hall before continuing out into the garden.

"I'd be delighted," Delilah said as she sprang to her feet and took Edward's arm. "What did you have in mind?"

Edward allowed the contact, having realized recently that extricating himself immediately was always met with wounded eyes from his mothersuiters. "I was thinking that Wednesday evenings would be a nice mid-week brush up for her." He looked over at Esme. "As long as it's alright with you, Mother."

Rosalie giggled at her brother. "Yes, Mother." She got up from her shroomstool and swept over to Esme. "Is it alright if Edward teaches piano lessons on Wednesday too?"

Esme gave her son an apologetic look while Jacob stood up and strode over to collect his plucky girlfriend. "Of course you can, Edward," Esme said. "And be nice Rose." Jacob captured her around the middle and pulled her back into the shade. Esme delighted in Rosalie's new carefree state but would remind her of proper manners in front of Edward's clients later in the day.

"I'll ask Mr. Petrie but I'm sure it will be fine," Delilah answered excitedly. Esme could see, the woman was panting at the chance to visit Edward at night.

"If it's a matter of money," Edward told her. "I would consider it included in the current fee. And if it's a matter of transportation I…"

"I would be happy give Clem a ride," Jacob interrupted. He knew that Edward was not much of a whip and that Carlisle often had the Cullen buggy anyway. Beyond that, Jacob was fond of Clementine. Last Sunday he had even ventured into the parlor to hear her play. He was eager to assist in her continued education with Edward, who now turned to face him with an expression of profound gratitude.

"Thank you, Jacob," he said as, behind him, Delilah bristled. She was looking forward to the possibility of riding with Edward and was now disappointed at having the prospect taken away. Esme saw the body language and mistook it for something else, although she should have known better.

"I can vouch for Jacob, Delilah," Esme offered with a light touch to the woman's shoulder. "He is a complete gentleman and…"

"In love with her daughter." Jacob interrupted again, walking over to put his arm around Esme. Delilah had met Jacob and liked him very much. She sensed that her golden opportunity was now lost so she accepted the standing invitation to have Jacob deliver her and Clementine to the Cullen house on Wednesday evenings. Provided, of course, that she could not get Mr. Petrie to do it.

Edward was not finished with his thoughts. "She plays as well anyone her age can," he told Clem's mother. "And she is at that age where we can train her mind as hard as we train her hands. I want to help her develop that more."

Delilah cocked her head to the side, thinking. Y_ou can train my hands any time you want to. _But she looked to Edward like she needed further explanation.

"Focus is the key to exemplary playing," he continued. "Not just muscle memory and mechanics. You have to get into the song to play it well and Clem has the passion to do just that."

Inside her playing never faltered as she practiced daunting musical movements. She sounded tired though and it had been a long lesson. Edward thanked Delilah, who welcomed him with a lengthy hug, and went inside to let Clem off the hook.

* * *

As the day wore on, Clementine was traded for Bethany Rascal who was traded for Judith Sophia, a talented student with an equally forward mother.

Esme always kept both eyes on Margaret Sophia. She always referred to her as The Umbrella.

Jacob and Rosalie had excused themselves for a period of time in the late afternoon but returned to the garden where they continued to admire her new chess table and finger the jade and silver pieces. When Judith saw the table she was drawn to it. She played chess almost as religiously as she played piano and Rosalie was immediately trying to cut into her lesson time by setting up the board before Edward could get away from Margaret.

Edward greeted Margaret at the door of the parlor and hugged her obligatorily but kept his behind sticking out so he looked like a tin soldier bending at the waist. As naïve as he had been to most of the mothers who visited his parlor, there was no denying Margaret's advances. He peeled himself off of her and began looking around for Judith. When he located her in the garden, he found her two moves into a game with his sister.

"Sorry ladies," Edward said. "I need Miss Sophia." Upon those words came a sigh from somewhere inside the house. It was masked by Rosalie's much more vocal protest to Edward's sentence.

"Come on Edward," Rosalie pouted. "She's the first one today who has any promise." She looked over at Esme. "No offense, Mom."

"None taken," Esme sang. She was keeping tabs on Margaret despite Edward's acceptable distance from her. Rosalie had listened while Jacob gave her mother a quick lesson in how the pieces moved, but Esme had too many questions for her daughter's taste. She wanted experienced players to match against.

I'll tell you what," Edward offered. "She will only have to go through the two new pieces I've picked out for her once and then I will end the lesson early and send her out."

Both chess players agreed to the terms and Judith followed her teacher indoors to the cool interior of the well drafted house. Mrs. Sophia joined the garden party and Esme asked about the wellbeing of Margaret's husband, Jean-Paul. Margaret answered Esme's question as they all listened to the sweet beginning notes of Beethoven's _Piano Sonata No. 14_, otherwise known as the _Moonlight Sonata_. The name caught on after a 1832 music critic named Ludwig Rellstab compared the first movement to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. It was a piece that Edward had memorized in his early teens and played often when the house was completely dark. Carlisle particularly loved when Edward did this and never failed to tell his son how much he enjoyed it.

Edward sat next to Judith on the warm bench as slants of bright sunlight wedged themselves into the corners of the parlor. He complimented her on attentive reading as he turned the pages of the modestly short piece. She played well for her first time through and Edward gave her his own copy of the music to take home for practice later on.

They then moved to the lighter hearted,_ Liebestraum_ by Franz Liszt. "This is a German work that translates to _Love Dream_." Edward told Judith as she scanned the impossibly difficult piece.

"I can't do this." She saw the grove of notes crowding every measure and wanted to faint.

Edward closed the music and pulled it to his lap. "I admit its rough looking on the page, Judith. But it's a very intuitive composition and you will find it as easy to play as _Fur Elise_." He opened the music and put it in front of her. "Trust me, it will play you."

Judith butchered the piece but it was beautiful music to Edward's ears. She plowed through and did not let mistakes shake her tempo, he was very proud of that. She did far better than she had hoped. Judith was delirious with glee when Edward turned the last page and she tracked the rapidly approaching finish.

Outside, Esme and Margaret watched as bloated dark gray thunder clouds, investigating the heat, jostled each other for position. The bright sun would be no match for the thick slices of atmosphere as the _Love Dream_ sonata limped its way into the afternoon's heavy embrace.

Jacob and Rosalie had been ranking Edward's students quietly and mutually agreed that Clem was the standout. This girl, however, was commended for blazing through a thicket of music. Rosalie remembered Edward's own struggle with the German goliath when he was much younger. It brought back memories of when drinking real tea was a treat and boys were a curiosity at best.

Rosalie simply adored lazy Sundays like the one that had unfolded before her. The air was dense enough to make her sleepy, but sweet enough to make her want to bathe in Jacob's shadow. Their little pocket of shade was slowly invaded by the last shreds of sunlight before the clouds claimed the afternoon.

She and Jacob had a delicious bit of flirting going on above and beneath the table while Rosalie favored her carved jade chess pieces. She liked how they absorbed the light while the silver pieces Jacob held reflected the still bright patches of blue sky that were rapidly being crowded out.

When the music stopped, Rosalie looked up with hopeful eyes as did Margaret. Both women were pleased to see Judith rise from the bench, straighten her dress and collect her music.

Edward was left in the parlor by himself, the last student of the day now on her way to combat his sister in a game of chess. There were still several hours before rehearsal and Edward looked forward to a nap wrapped inside Bella's bedspread and surrounded by their scent. He watched the room dim and brighten according to the whims of the lumpy clouds above the windows and was inspired to play the _Moonlight Sonata_ as the late afternoon sunlight gloved his hands in warmth.

He closed his eyes and let the music carry him to Bella. He imagined that he was flying with her even when Mrs. Sophia quietly scooted up next to him on the bench. She happily filled the empty space her daughter left behind, smelling his musk and watching his sun streaked hands in fascination.

Outside Rosalie had offered Judith her choice of pieces and she picked the silver ones. They set the board and began the game, silver going first. Jacob sat next to Esme and the two of them listened to Edward's beautiful playing while the chess pieces danced to the delicate serenade.

"Aren't you worried that Margaret is alone with Edward?" Jacob asked Esme.

"Always," Esme said, her eyes shifting to the parlor windows. "As long as I can hear him playing she can't be that grabby," She joked. "Besides he's very ticklish."

Jacob enjoyed when Esme made jokes. She had a wit as dry as her daughter's and Jacob thought Esme was just as beautiful. The two of them then began discussing dinner menus while they watched the two chess players settle into the game. Jacob was over most evenings now and had a culinary wisdom Esme was jealous of.

Rosalie took great pleasure when Judith made bold moves and knew that she was in for a close game. Jacob silently cheered her on as they all basked in the last tendrils of sunlight and let the music caress their ears as the late afternoon breeze caressed their cooling skin.

In the midst of a perfect moment, Jacob felt every small hair on his forearms stand out like cords. He suddenly sprang to his feet.

**BOOM !**

The others in the garden, jumped in their seats at the loud noise and then looked up at the clouds.

Jacob hit the chess table hard as he rushed inside, knocking the jade king to the stone patio floor. It shattered into pieces.

His heart ached at the sickly musical smash of sound that groaned from the piano on the heels of the explosion.

He was through the open doors and inside the parlor before the echo faded from the charged air.

When Jacob entered the room, Margaret began shrieking.

"Jean-Paul! What have you done?!" Her wild eyes were regarding an unknown man standing in the center of the room with a smoking Remington shotgun in his hands. He was shaking with rage, or fright, or both.

The man ignored his wife, his eyes transfixed on the neat black hole in Edward's back.

Edward had been violently thrown into the piano by the force of the .44 caliber slug.

He was slumped over the piano keys. His still face and open eyes were reflected in the shiny black wood. His chest was pressed against the sheet music of _Liebestraum_, his nearly lifeless legs dangling limply and crossing at the ankles beneath the bench.

Edward's body reflexively struggled to breathe and Jacob was the only one who heard the small and shallow intakes of air.

His blood ran from the piano keys and drummed loudly on the wooden floor.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**And so ends Act One. **

**It's been thirteen amazing weeks and I appreciate each and every one of you who found and stuck with Bella Voce in its earliest phase. **

**I regret to inform you that I am taking next week off from posting. Jennifer and I will be away on vacation. The next update will be Saturday, May 22****nd****.**

**I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this would be an excellent time to get one other person to start reading Bella Voce. If anything to make them suffer through the cliffhanger with you. I would also consider it a personal favor.**

**If you want weekly teasers, discussion and interaction with me you should visit The Pit, the Twilighted forum dedicated to Bella Voce. The link is located on my Author's page.**

**Team Bella Voce had a surge in new members this week. Thank You to everyone who joined! I****f you haven't signed up to participate in Fandom Gives Back, please remember that the outtake I am writing won't be published elsewhere. A very small pledge of $5 is all it takes. ****If you contact, the team leader, April (email is aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com or tweet her (at)aRedi) to pledge, you will be a part of something big this June. **

**Next Saturday, when you need your adventure fix, may I suggest two stories I read and review regularly. They are both on FanFiction and only a few chapters in. I enjoy reading them both.**

**They are:**

**_Bella Swan and the Tablet of Truth _by ladyeire3**

**_Dusk and Her Embrace _by Buzzkill34**


	14. Chapter 14: Moonlight

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear owns every a-ha album ever released.**

**Warning:**

**Please be aware that this chapter contains moments of brutal violence.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**Moonlight**

Jean-Paul Sophia opened his eyes. He was in a small dark space that smelled like burned wood and sour sweat. He could feel that his hands and legs were bound and he had something stuffed into his mouth. He frantically worked the foreign object outward with his tongue and spat it out onto the scratched silver surface he sat on, coughing loudly. The right side of his head throbbed with every beat of his heart. The intensity of the pain had woken him up.

A door opened and he was suddenly washed in oppressive light. When his eyes adjusted, he saw that he was in a cupboard of some kind at one end of a small attic room. A square window on the wall opposite framed the twilight treated Eiffel Tower. A large figure ominously stepped in front of it, regrettably blocking his view of the only recognizable object in sight.

The man now standing before Jean-Paul was massive and had long straight black hair.

"You're awake," he said flatly as he bent down to collect and then stuff the rag back into Jean-Paul's mouth, using enough force to make him gag. "I thought I hit you harder than that."

He reached up above the captive man and started pulling on a rope attached to a pulley. Jean-Paul began descending into a dark square shaft.

Jacob peered down at Edward's assailant, the silhouette mercifully hiding the grave look on his face. "You'll wish I had." His cold tone communicated a decisive finality.

Jean-Paul felt himself drop dozens of feet as he was slowly lowered into cooler air. The squeaking noise that accompanied him was a mocking reminder that this was not a dream. He remembered shooting the boy, the one who his wife dressed up so nice for every Sunday. Despite his confusion and fear, he remembered what he had done and took some satisfaction in the deed.

He could recall nothing that had taken place after that. He did not recognize Jacob, a byproduct of their brief but brutal introduction at the Cullen house, and now the bricks rising before his eyes looked like the steps to Hell. His heart sank as even they disappeared.

He was in near total blackness, the pinpoint of light above showering him with only the sound of his squeaky conveyance. Claustrophobia built up in him as the swift darkness stole his orientation. When a ghost of light finally rose up from below, he was relieved. He was glad that whatever fate awaited him was well lit.

He entered a washroom and now saw that he had been lowered in a steel dumbwaiter tub.

Someone was waiting for him. She was a beautiful woman, stunning even, and she was glaring at him. Here eyes were dangerous, all her of fury and hate were wholly focused on him.

John-Paul could hear voices behind the thick curtain that rested behind her. He knew it was the exit to the very elaborate bathing room and realized he would never see what was hidden on the other side. He watched in frozen and fascinated horror as the woman walked toward him extending a pale skeletal hand to his face. Her ice cold touch stunned him as she seized him by the jaw. She squeezed his bones to powder with as little effort as it took to close a book. His screams were exquisite and she waited until he was done before addressing him.

"You will pay for what you did in broken bones," she hissed and struck out at his delicate nose.

She had spoken those first words theatrically and with a fair amount of menace but she quickly lost her composure, screaming in pain and rage as she punched at his ribs and squeezed each of his ankles to ashes.

"How could you?" She cried. "He was innocent!" She swiftly climbed into the tub and was practically on top of him in an effort to get her face as close to his as she could.

"You killed him!" Bella grabbed his groin and twisted savagely.

The man's agonized screeches carried up the converted chimney to Jacob, who was trembling with grief for the friend he was sure had now been lost.

* * *

Twenty one hours later, Edward Cullen woke up.

He stirred at Bella's scent all around him. He briefly wondered why he did not remember his journey upstairs from the parlor and into his bedroom for the well deserved nap. The thought quickly left him as he attempted to focus on her scent once more. He knew he must be wrapped in the soft white bedspread she had left him in when they last saw each other.

As he inhaled once more, an enormous array of smells swelled into his head. The odors were instantly followed by an unusual number of sounds invading his ears. The sensory invasion was overwhelming but was effective in clearing the fog inside his mind.

He felt tremendous pain in his back and chest…_Oh no._

Edward opened his eyes.

He was met with the recognizable view of Bella's bedroom ceiling as well as her face, her expression one of nervous anticipation. Jasper and Alice were also silently watching him as he struggled to remember how he had gotten to the theatre. Edward focused on his last memory before this moment and he was confronted with the vision of a shocking spray of blood exploding from his chest and soaking the sheet music on the piano in front of him.

He sat up quickly, reacting to the violent image.

"Be careful, love," Bella said, in an attempt to be reassuring. Edward was fascinated as he could hear every nuance of air escaping her slender throat. He could hear faint murmurs in his head as well, but the sound of Bella's crisp cool voice was memorizing. It was like he was hearing her for the first time. "You can sit but please don't try to stand yet. You will hurt yourself."

Edward nodded his head out of habit and looked down at himself. He was tucked between countless sheets that had been borrowed from Alice and when he sat up they fell off to expose his bare torso. Edward was startled by a large, scarred starburst of shiny pink flesh on his chest. He attempted in vain to brush the hideous thing off while also scrambling backwards away from it. His back hit the wall behind Bella's bed so hard that dust sprinkled down on everyone in the room and on the still rattling instruments in the pit behind him. The jolt brought Edward back from a state of reaction to one of contemplation.

He slowly brought his hand back to his chest and felt for his heartbeat.

There was none.

Edward panicked.

He started breathing in huge gulps of air and attempted to swing his legs from the bed, seeking an escape from this new and terrifying reality. Jasper stopped him from rising, with firm hands and a soft tone. "Please just stay seated and let us talk to you, Edward. You still have many things to hear."

Edward's senses were already overly stimulated and the last thing he wanted was more information to digest. He began to struggle even harder against Jasper's restraining hold and continued to take in harsh shocked breaths. Jasper gave Bella a look that said _I told you so_ as he knelt down beside the bed, his eyes level with the wild newborn.

"Edward, you must calm yourself or you will hyperventilate."

"You don't even need to breathe at all," Alice said…not helpfully.

Jasper shot her a reproachful look that was not half as bad as the one Bella leveled at her. Both were instantly angry with Alice but the statement was surprisingly effective in getting Edward to stop fighting. He froze upon hearing it.

Edward looked at them all, one at a time, examining their faces and their body language. Jasper was the closest, kneeling beside him with a hand on his leg, his face showing determination to keeping everyone safe. Alice was the furthest away sitting at the foot of the bed, watching him with curiosity, as though she was trying to figure out what he would do next. When his eyes met Bella's she placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward so that her pendulum necklace was hanging loosely right in front of Edward's face.

His gaze locked on the necklace. It was spinning with restrained purpose and Edward saw it discreetly pause in front of each person in the room. He watched as the pendulum pointed toward Bella, then Alice, then Jasper and finally himself. Edward remembered seeing the necklace spin madly while at Notre Dame but now he understood with new eyes that it was actually ticking. It moved from one vampire to the next in the room.

_All four of us. _

He watched in stunned silence as the pendulum paused on him for a second time, then a third and then a fourth. Edward could see every detail on the dark metal pendulum. Unwilling to watch it pause on him yet again, he averted his eyes and began to study the ancient silver chain that held Bella's locket. The two necklaces were wrapped around each other but the simple heart rested peacefully between Bella's breasts while the half moon shaped blade never slowed.

Edward began to cry. He wept soundlessly but profoundly.

Bella, Jasper and Alice all sat on the bed with him, touching his back in solidarity if not confirmation. In that wicked moment Edward mourned the loss of his mother's sun lit breakfasts, the rush of blood to his face when he laughed and, indeed, the very waking world. His head was pounding as he struggled to adapt to his improved senses. His back and chest ached from the wounds he had suffered. And, for reasons he had yet to understand, his stomach was twisted into such painful knots that he wanted to curl into a fetal ball and pray for its merciful release.

Almost an hour passed while Edward slowly attempted to accept his death.

Bella still had not heard him speak and was becoming increasingly worried. She had assigned that one act as proof that Edward was going to be alright. Bella longed to hear his voice, no matter what he had to say, but refused to pressure him through this moment. She thought about his reluctance to become a vampire. Despite his love for her, Edward had been far from reaching a final decision and she had been content to give him the time he needed to do so. As she had kept vigil during his transformation, Bella had been convinced that she had done the right thing for him. She had told herself over and over that this option still gave him a choice. Now as the minutes of Edward's new life began to pass into hours, she prayed he would forgive her for what she had done.

They could see that he was in pain and they all knew too well what it felt like. But even his suffering was maddeningly silent.

Edward found it more and more difficult to process his own thoughts as his inner voice was muted by many other intrusions. Allowing himself to focus on the myriad of noises, he could hear what sounded like whispers in familiar voices as well as many different drones and rumblings that accosted him from all sides. The many bizarre mutterings in his mind as well as the ceaseless gurgles, spracks and spoinks he was hearing in the underground room was a blessed distraction from the rusty coils scraping the inside of his belly.

As intriguing as the sharp rise in his hearing was, Edward was also sickly aware of the contrasting silence in his own body. Where once a churning rhythm of activity flooded even his human ears, an eerie and silent void now mocked his vampire hearing.

He was dead.

He needn't breathe.

He needn't pump blood, but he did need…

Edward pushed the sickening thought out of his head even as another entered it.

_Don't fight it, it will help with the pain._

"Don't fight it," Jasper said. "It will help with the pain."

Edward turned to him, watching him with awe. Had Jasper just read his mind? And what was he not supposed to fight?

_You feel hungry. Don't you?_

"You feel hungry. Don't you?" Bella spoke these words just as they were fading from Edward's mind.

Unable to comprehend what was happening, Edward tried to stand again but the three of them held him down.

_No! You don't know how strong you are yet._

"No!" Jasper ordered. "You don't know how strong you are yet. You were turned with very powerful blood, just as Alice was, but I…

_Also tried something_

_.._think I may have enhanced the effects."

Edward could hear each of their thoughts and, even as Jasper spoke, he could pick up on mental first drafts of phrasings. He closed his mind and listened as the trio of vampires considered what to do next. Alice was just going to let Bella and Jasper handle the situation, admitting to herself that she tended to cause more harm than good. Jasper was deeply concerned with many medical terms Edward did not recognize.

When he listened to Bella's thoughts he realized she was in as much shock as he was and he found comfort in it.

Edward was feeling overwhelmed once again and Bella could see it. As she watched his agitation grow and grow, she became certain that the key to easing all tension rested with Edward's ability to vocalize his thoughts.

"Please say something, Edward," Bella pleaded, and the desperation in her voice betrayed the calm expression she was holding in place. She quickly tucked her pendulum behind her locket chain and straightened up and away from him. This movement allowed Edward room to swing his legs off the bed. Jasper gave Bella a cautioned look but Edward made no attempt to stand.

He realized that he indeed had said nothing since the moment he had first opened his new eyes. He struggled to choose which words to speak, which question to ask first. In the end, he spoke the first coherent sentence his crowded mind could send through his cool lips.

"What is that awful smell?"

_What?_

_Piss._

_Urine probably._

This time Edward was able to pick out each of their thoughts. Bella did not understand the question. Alice was blunt and started laughing wildly at the obvious conclusion. Jasper answered him immediately and directly.

"What you smell is urine. The world is soaking in it, I'm afraid. And it's the very worst part of becoming a vampire."

Bella was still confused. "I don't smell anything."

"It's nice to know that after three hundred years I'll get used to it," Alice said still laughing.

"I can hear your thoughts," Edward announced.

_What?_

_What?_

_What?_

"I can hear your thoughts," He answered their unspoken questions. Alice and Jasper's thoughts were simple and not unexpected.

_Really?_

_That's amazing!_

Bella's thought, however, finally jolted Edward into action.

_I am so sorry my love. Please forgive me._

Edward stood up slowly, unsure what this altered body was capable of. The sheets fell away from his naked form. He took Bella's hand gently in his and looked her in the eye while Alice openly admired his backside. Jasper quietly tugged on Alice's arm and gestured for her to lead the way to her shop. He wanted to give Edward and Bella a few moments of privacy. Once they had disappeared into the tunnel, Edward spoke.

"I don't blame you, Bella," he whispered. He glanced down at his chest before continuing. "Whatever you did it looks like you had to do it."

If he had been honest, Edward would have confessed that he still was unsure if he was able to live a vampire's existence but, in this moment, comforting Bella was another welcome distraction he dove into.

Bella sniffed once and then began to cry with relief. Edward pulled her into his arms and she held onto him tightly as she apologized over and over for what she had taken away from him. He responded to each of her apologies, stroking her hair and whispering that it was not her fault.

After several minutes, Jasper and Alice returned with a change of clothes for Edward. Hesitantly, Bella released him. As Edward turned towards Jasper and Alice to accept his new outfit, Bella could not stop a crooked smile from forming. She had observed Alice's downward gaze and saw the look on her friend's astonished face as she took in his glorious form. For once, Alice's brazenness was well timed.

"Get dressed please, Edward," Bella said. "We have something for you."

Edward was graceful as he donned his clothes. Every movement he made was fluid and elegant. As he sat back down on the bed to lace up his shoes, he could see that Jasper was still watching him closely. "I won't go through the roof," Edward said as he sped through the usually awkward task.

_You don't know that._

Edward raised his eyebrows in response to Jasper's thoughts. Jasper opted to elaborate verbally.

"You are strong enough now to bring the whole building down with a few kicks Edward," he explained. "As a matter of fact, I am worried that you will stand up too fast and put your head through the stage."

Edward looked around at his new comrades - they were all on the balls of their feet. "You're joking," he said.

_Please just be careful._

_Sorry, no._

_No._

For the second time Bella had used Edward's ability to communicate a thought as a way to send a direct message to him instead of issuing a reactive answer. She hoped this new and intimate way of speaking would bring them closer. She was eager to show him any positive side of this new world. Bella was not yet convinced that Edward had accepted his new reality.

His first feeding would tell all.

As a vampire, Bella had seen and heard enough to know that Edward's ability to hear her thoughts was an eventuality of their species. She was not the least bit jealous of what she assumed would be a very painful and bothersome existence for him.

_Can you hear me Edward?_

Edward looked up at Bella and met her eyes.

_Do you understand what has happened to you?_

Edward stood up, very slowly looking up at the ceiling like it was a snake, a question on the turn of his head.

_Do you know who shot you?_

"Shot me!" Edward's bellow made Jasper and Alice jump.

Once again, Edward's final human memory flooded his senses. He saw the spray of blood again but nothing fought back against the ocean of sights, smells and sounds in order to remember more. This time, he saw the sheet music that had been resting against the piano. It was _Liebestraum. _He tried to remember playing it but could not.

He reached underneath his shirt and put his hand on his chest felt the new baby skin, sensitive and smooth. "What happened to me?"

He instantly found new meaning in the poem that had inspired the haunting piece of music now splattered with his blood, yet somehow when he recalled the telling words he did so while thinking of the Moonlight Sonata.

_O love, as long as you're able to love  
O love, as long as you wish to love  
For the hour will come, the hour will come  
When you'll stand at the graveside and wail_

Be certain that your heart's afire

_And nourishes love and bears love  
As long as yet another heart  
Beats together with yours in love_

And when he opens his heart to you  
Do all you can to nurse his love  
And fill each hour with joy for him  
And make no hour bleak for him

And beware, tis wise to hold your tongue  
How quickly an angry word is said  
O God, I meant you no abuse  
But the other flees, and tears are shed

O love, as long as you're able to love  
O love, as long as you wish to love  
For the hour will come, the hour will come  
When you'll stand at the graveside and wail

Then, stricken, you kneel beside his tomb  
And bury your eyes, beclouded, damp  
- They'll see the other nevermore  
In the long and dewy graveyard grass

And speak to me, look down on me  
The one who weeps beside your grave  
Forgive me, I have grieved you so  
O God, I never meant you harm

He neither sees nor hears you now  
Nor rises for your rapt embrace  
The lips you so oft kissed can't say  
I forgave you long ago

He forgave you long ago, indeed  
Though many a hot tear streaked his face  
O'er you and o'er your bitter words  
Be still, he's home, he rests in peace

O love, as long as you're able to love  
O love, as long as you wish to love  
For the hour will come, the hour will come  
When you'll stand at the graveside and wail

Edward was deeply disturbed by the images the composition conjured but was riled from his thoughts by the sound of someone coming in through the lobby door.

_Jacob! Oh he'll be so relieved._

_Jacob's back._

_Jacob's blood would be interesting to sample._

Upon hearing Jacob's name, Edward flashed on another memory. He was being carried through the streets of Paris, his shoulder was hurt and Jacob was carrying him to the hospital.

_No wait…_

This memory was different. This time, he was dripping blood on the ground, leaving a macabre trail of their journey as Jacob ran with him. And there was another man, being dragged possibly? Both Edward and the stranger jostling as the sound of Jacob's feet pounded their progress.

"It was Jacob who really saved you, Edward. Not me," Bella told him as they heard Jacob walk over the stage above their heads.

"Maybe he should be the one to tell you about what happened," Alice offered with a touch to Edward's shoulder.

* * *

Jacob was consumed in thought as he slid the loveseat aside in Bella's dressing room and walked down the spiral steps into her apartment. Edward caught only pieces of it.

…_She's not stupid and neither is her mother…_

…_even if he is dead…_

…_want an explanation…_

…_will have to make sure the Sophia widow…_

Listening to Jacob worry about his family, Eward wondered just how long he had been unconscious. It was obvious that Jacob had been awake the whole time as his appearance was just as fragmented as his thoughts.

Jacob rounded the last of the steps and saw the four vampires standing in front of him. He was so relieved to see Edward awake that his knees nearly buckled. He steadied himself on the stair rail as he tried to notice all the changes in Edward's appearance.

He had been a handsome man as a human but now Edward commanded attention even next to Bella, who could stop hearts. His green eyes now showed a universe of light and depth that Jacob was fascinated with. His mouth, usually poised with a question, was now closed in confidence and he was standing with his legs a little further apart than Jacob had ever seen before.

"You saved my life," Edward said walking gracefully over to his friend and extending his hand. Jacob opened his mouth and sucked all the oxygen out of the room with a gasp of glee. He removed the remaining distance between them with one great stride and swept Edward up in an embrace reserved for brothers.

Jacob did not speak. He did not have to. He just held his friend like a lost child and Edward was swept away in the tsunami of emotion coming off of the man. He could not isolate specific thoughts, but he felt a powerful surge of feelings as they embraced.

Jacob had successfully convinced himself that what had happened to Edward was entirely his own fault. There were still going to be staggering ramifications but, for the moment, Jacob felt tremendous relief and all other concerns were temporarily forgotten.

"Be careful, Jacob. He has only been awake for a few minutes," Bella warned.

Bella began thinking about the man in the washroom. His captivity was nearing its end. Now connected to every one of his beloved's thoughts, Edward paused at this revelation.

"Who's in there?" Edward asked Bella as he separated from Jacob.

"Jesus, is he STILL alive?" Jacob asked, astonished at the willpower of his three vampire friends.

"Is who alive?" Edward asked, fear now creeping into his body.

_The man who shot you._

_Your killer._

_A stupid jealous human._

_I have a feeling Bella is about to show you._

"You have my murderer in there?" Edward did not wait for an answer. He walked into the washroom and he moved so quickly that the others, vampire or not, could barely even watch his progress. When he rushed through the curtains they flapped out so hard that one of them tore completely off its rings and landed on top of the stone bathtub's coned copper covering.

Jean-Paul was semiconscious but in a delirium of pain and suffering. He had long since assumed that he was dead and, was in fact, enjoying his second day in Hell. When he registered that it was Edward approaching him, he began to scream. It would not have been surprising to see the man he shot walking around in Hell, but the frightened look on the boy's face made the reality of the situation swim back into sharp focus for the doomed man.

Edward saw a flesh covered gargoyle. He was a tangle of knotted limbs and his eyes stood out like searchlights. His screams were little more than garbled groans because his face was so disfigured. Bella entered the room and stood next to Edward. When Jean-Paul saw her, he stopped screaming and obediently waited with his eyes closed, for something.

"What is he doing here?" Edward whispered in shock, his eyes riveted to the man.

"He's here for you." Bella said simply, turning to watch his reaction. "You have to feed soon."

Edward's face hardened and his shook his head in defiance. "No."

Edward backed up and out of the room. "I'm not killing him, Bella."

"He's already dead," she told him, following him back into the bedroom, "and when we went up to the Tower that first time, you said yourself that you would only kill criminals."

"Who is he?" Edward may have recognized Mr. Sophia under normal circumstances but the man had been beaten so terribly, he did not see any traits he knew.

Bella was about to tell Edward the man's identity was irrelevant but she was interrupted.

"Jean-Paul Sophia." Jacob answered.

"Judith's father?" Edward was dumbstruck. "Why would he…?"

And suddenly, before he could finish asking the question, Edward knew. All the pretty dresses, all the flirting - Jean-Paul had jumped to a very wrong conclusion and killed Edward because of it.

He thought about his family once again and wondered what they were going through at that moment. He thought about how this senseless, random event had destroyed their peaceful lives forever.

Edward was instantly filled with rage.

He began to feel a power stretch inside him. His senses sharpened and focused on only one thing, the sound of Jean-Paul Sophia's beating heart. Edward wondered how he could have missed it before - it was the loudest thing in the room. He was captivated by its drumming rhythm as he contemplated his next decision. Bella glided to his side and placed her arm around Edward's waist. Her touch was soothing and he pulled her closer, still entranced by the beating heart in the next room, feeling his resolve begin to waver.

He was suddenly distracted by a new kind of pounding. It was a fist hammering at the theatre's lobby door upstairs. John-Paul Sophia's fate was on hold once more.

Edward knew the pattern of that knock very well but before he could announce who it was, they all heard Rosalie calling Jacob's name. Her voice was distraught, angry, frightened. Edward had never heard Rosalie so distressed. And the fiend in the next room was to blame for it.

"What do we do?" Edward asked.

Jacob was already on his way upstairs and Edward wondered why no one else made a move to join him.

"We can't go up there. It's still daylight." Bella explained.

Despite the agony in his sister's voice, Edward was grateful for the reprieve. What would happen to his family? Would he ever see them again? And if he could, how would he explain what had happened to him? Was it even safe for them to be around him? There were too many questions in this moment and too many emotions to work through. It was more than he could conquer on his first day of eternity.

"I don't want to," Edward readily admitted. "I still don't know what to think of all this, Bella. I mean am I dead? I'm really dead aren't I? And…what?...Reanimated? I mean…. I know I thought about it when I met you but Bella….My heart…."

He could not finish, a wave of panic swept over him again and he fought the urge to run somewhere, anywhere. Instead, he tightened his hold on Bella while she rubbed soothing circles on his chest. Her touch was all that mattered to him in that moment. It was everything and he longed to be alone with her.

Bella was actually smiling a little; Edward's ramblings reminded her of the way he spoke when they first met. He was not likely to trip over her furniture anymore but she recognized that he was still the same excitable, slightly nervous, wonder filled man he was when she carried him home the night before last.

Jasper had observed Edward's every move since he rose from the bed and wanted to reassure the newest member of his kind. "You are alive, Edward," Jasper told him with conviction. "I can feel it in you. Anyone can see it in you. Your body moves energy differently that's all. You are able to think and speak and therefore you are alive." Jasper approached Edward and coaxed him away from Bella's embrace before walking him toward the washroom. "Your body will heal completely after you feed on human blood. You must feed, Edward."

Edward stopped and spun on Jasper in a wink of movement. "Why can't I drink vampire blood from your cellar?" Edward almost pleaded.

"You can," Jasper admitted. "I brought some with me, in fact. A little surprise for Bella, and I'm sure she would even let you drink from it if you'd like. But human blood has to be introduced into the vampire body soon. Vampire blood will only pacify a fresh vampire like you. Human blood has something our bodies need so instinctively, you will crave it like nothing before. It's why your stomach hurts." As Jasper explained everything to Edward, he walked over to Bella's large bookshelf and retrieved his black bag. He looked directly at Edward before rummaging in it. "It will only get worse the longer you wait." Jasper spoke with certainty.

He sifted through his belongings, cursing the silence. He was hoping to distract Edward from the heated conversation taking place upstairs on the street. Jasper knew that it would be naïve to think that Edward was not paying attention to the muted voices filtering through the theatre. Not only was Edward listening, he was even catching wisps of thought, mostly from his sister. Very little about the conversation made sense to him, but he could tell that it was quite a stand off. Edward had also determined that Jacob was charged with turning anyone away, even Edward's family. No matter what the cost.

When Jasper produced a bottle filled with thick dark liquid, Edward could smell the blood through the cork. He could also smell Bella's hair, and Alice's and Jasper's for that matter. He could smell the paper in the books lining the wall, the morter and bricks in the pillars, fresh paint and, of course, urine.

Edward had been resisting the influx of sensations that bombarded his senses from the time he woke up as a vampire. All at once, for no reason at all, he let his guard down and allowed his natural instincts free reign.

All around him the world shouted. The vocal rumblings above them, Jean-Paul's heartbeat, and countless drones and thuds combined with his own habitual breathing and that was only the beginning. Alice was also humming something lily sweet and Bella was wrapped in worry about his well being, her thoughts stabbing in at regular intervals.

Then there was Jasper, who was cataloguing his weapons and trying to figure out which one would make a good gift for Edward. His confidence that Edward would need a weapon made the soaring agony in Edward's guts double. He did not think he would make it through the night as a vampire.

His own thoughts were bystanders in the carnival of information he was forced to process, so he made the wise decision to focus his attention on the present conversation and the ritualistic quality of what Jasper looked like he was preparing.

Jasper called Alice and Bella over to the bed and they all sat down leaving plenty of room for Edward. Jasper handed the bottle to Bella with a smirk. She looked down at it and gasped.

"Why didn't you say something?" she asked. Edward could not tell if she was joking or really angry.

"Like I said, I wanted it to be a surprise," Jasper reminded her, "and hopefully a celebration."

Bella looked over at Edward. "It is," she said and handed the bottle to him. Edward took the bottle and looked down at the cork. He thought it would mean something to him, but when he saw the name Felix scratched on it he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the group.

"I'll tell you later." Bella said with a nudge and he pulled the cork out. The smell hit him like a hurricane and he drank deeply before he could stop himself. It was very cold and very delicious - he was not expecting that. He passed the bottle back to Bella, who looked for a moment like she was going to pass it right over to Jasper. Instead, she took a long pull from the vessel, her throat working as she swallowed the memories.

Edward was swaying back and forth, quite giddy from the drink as Jasper and Alice shared the last of the bottle between them. He could still hear his sister bellowing at Jacob and felt bad for the beating his loyal friend was taking. Despite this, Edward was euphoric and therefore quite positive that everything would work out fine. Although his tracking of the vocal duel upstairs was upstaged by multiple audio intrusions, he could hear Jasper, Alice and Bella thinking about what they heard and was able to piece together an unpleasant exchange between the two lovers.

"I can hear a low rumbling noise," Edward said in a far away voice. "Does anyone know what that is?"

_That's the river my lovely._

_The river._

_The Seine._

"Oh, yes," he said before anyone could respond to his question with words. "It's loud."

"And it's over a mile away," Alice said. "Just wait until you hear the ocean."

"I can hear it now," Jasper said.

"So can I," Bella added.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut and strained her hearing.

"What does it sound like?" Edward asked.

"It's more like you feel it really," Bella explained. "It's a deep rumbling roar that is so low you have to really listen for it."

Edward was confused. "But you said that was the river."

"The River sounds softer, like silk on silk," Jasper described. "It's a little higher in pitch and louder too."

"Oh yes, I hear that," Edward said, he knew the sound Jasper was describing, but to him it sounded like wind. It was indeed louder than the ocean, but that low rumbling seemed to anchor his world and made his feet buzz as if its dense fury was just below them.

"I don't hear it," Alice pouted. "I usually don't until I get to _Rouen."_

Edward felt like he was in the grip of a powerful drug as the four of them sat on the bed. The cool blood he drank glided through him and was complimented by the newly revealed sound of the Seine rushing by.

"I feel funny," Edward said like a child.

Jasper stood up, as Jacob quietly and somberly came back down the stairs. "You will feel very powerful for now Edward," he said, "but remember, by tomorrow morning the hunger will be back and it will be agonizing."

Jacob looked exhausted, like he had just fought a war. Bella walked over and hugged him. She whispered in his ear but did not pretend that everyone else in the room wasn't listening.

"You'll get her back, Jacob. I won't let this cost you happiness."

Jacob nodded his head but did not look convinced.

* * *

After the sun went down, Jasper and Alice left through the tunnel that connected Bella's apartment with Alice's. Jasper had been told about it the night Edward was knocked out with James's newly liberated head and Jacob, of course, knew about it from the first week he was in Paris. Edward was fascinated by the tunnel so he and Bella walked with them to Alice's shop while Jacob went up to his room.

Edward walked through the cavern turning his head from side to side. He could hear noises on the bustling street above them but refused to go outside when Jasper asked him to.

He was scared that he would run into someone he knew and that they would detect his difference. Jasper understood his concern and pointed out that each of them did not have to deal with the problems Edward faced. Alice was in a new city. Bella had lost everyone due to the plague. And Jasper had ran away to fight a war. Edward was not so fortunate. He had friends and family members to consider.

They all stood in Alice's bedroom while she readied herself for a night out with Jasper. Edward asked more questions.

"Did you bite me, Bella?"

"I fed you my blood but I didn't need to bite you."

"I don't understand. I thought that's how vampires were made?" Edward looked to Jasper who, despite being over a century younger than Bella, seemed to be the resident expert on vampirism.

"Becoming a vampire is a matter if ingesting our blood Edward," Jasper explained. "You were already bled out so all we had to do was introduce vampire blood to your body and hope that it wasn't too late."

"Too late for what?" Edward asked.

Alice answered this time, "You were very close to death and we didn't know it if would turn you or not. Usually a bite and a bloodletting will lead to a human death. That can be controlled or even prolonged to make the death part of the transformation."

They all left the dress shop a few minutes later and, as Edward walked the other couple to the door, moonlight spilled onto his shoes. He was surprised to see several colors dancing within the reflected light, reminding him of a kaleidoscope. It was a thousand shades of delicate white dressed with pale yellow and purple. It did not swirl or shimmer, it almost bounded up and down as if the light itself was excited to be there.

He and Bella returned to her apartment through the damp passage and they spoke for a while, curled up in her bed, but Edward was tired. He had only been awake for a few hours but felt like he had been sprinting the whole time. He also felt a twinge of pain creep back into his stomach and was keen to sleep through more of that unpleasantness.

Bella wanted to bathe him but would not engage in something to intimate and sensual while Jean-Paul was still in the washroom. One way or another she resolved to get rid of him in the morning and she knew just how to do it. Edward would want to bite the man but would stubbornly resist as well.

She had a plan to solve both their problems.

Edward and Bella slept together in the vault beneath her bed, waking up around noon. As soon as Edward opened his eyes, he was in agony. His stomach was now a nest of squirming reptiles and when he lifted the bed frame off of them the renewed sound of Jean-Paul's heartbeat made him salivate.

The inviting sound was like discovering a waterfall in the desert.

"It's time, Edward. Please." Bella encouraged Edward as she rose with him. She briefly wrapped her arms around his aching stomach, her silk cream nightgown settling into his bare back. He was wearing sleeping pants that Alice had made for him. They slipped down a little while he walked towards the washroom and he had to hold them up with one hand. Edward was still resisting, and praying that Jasper would return soon with another bottle from his cellar. He could surely hold out until then, yet with each step he took toward the washroom, he felt his self-control evaporating. As he passed the circular staircase, he grabbed the railing with his free hand and flung himself upstairs in an effort to distance himself from the temptation calling to him, in perfect time no less, from the other room.

Edward kept his eyes focused upward, not wanting to accidentally catch a glimpse of the wretched man through the curtain he had torn and damaged the day before. Bella patiently followed him up to the stage where he stood looking at the twin lines of bright sunlight winking beneath the thick auditorium doors. The lobby was obviously off limits. The front doors to the theatre were glass and flooded the lobby with bright warmth.

Edward longed for the sun while instinctually recoiling from it.

"Just don't get too close," Bella instructed. "One day, Jacob walked in and half of the room lit up."

"Oh." Edward felt like he was watching a sleeping monster that had not seen him yet.

"It will be gone in another hour when the sun moves a little more," she added, seeing his concern. "This time of day is when the light starts to move off of the doors, but we still can't go in there until well after sunset."

"I miss it already," Edward said, resenting the struggle inside him.

"I do to," Bella whispered, her voice full of sadness, "but not as much as I would have missed you."

Edward turned to face her. He had something to tell her and it was imperative she understood exactly how he felt. He placed his hands on her shoulders and brought his forehead to hers. He did not speak until her gaze locked firmly with his eyes.

"Bella, I will never blame you for what you did." Edward kissed her lips briefly, the connection sweet and strong. "What that man did to me had nothing to do with anything supernatural. Don't you see? If I hadn't met you and Jacob, this would have happened anyway. If it hadn't attended your show, if you hadn't selected me from the audience, I would be truly dead. You have given me love and now life."

She hugged him tightly, in awe of his words. "When Jacob brought you here, I thought you were dead." She pulled back and pointed down to the spot on the stage between them. "Right here."

Edward could see that the stage had been freshly painted, the black surface dry but dusty. When Edward backed into the wall the day before in an effort to escape his scar, his effort had shaken the entire building. The still drying paint on the stage had collected dust particles that drifted down from the rafters in the main auditorium.

"Jacob ran in and put you down right where we're standing," Bella recalled.

Edward took a few steps back and looked down. "That makes it twice now that I compromised your stage, Bella," he joked.

"In as many weeks," she added.

They laughed quietly together until a twist in Edward's insides threatened to make him cry out in pain. Bella begged him with her eyes and he attempted to divert his focus to his other senses. Since he had come up from the underground room, the level of noises and thoughts intruding on him was maddening, every person walking by outside was an avalanche of scuffed steps and mumbled musings. Each horse was a storm cloud clapping his ears with thunder. The pain in his stomach sharpened his ears and the world was turned up so loud that Edward did not hear himself screaming until Bella shook him back into focus. Her patience had reached its limit. She could no longer stand to let Edward deprive himself of what his body needed most.

"We're going downstairs right now," she commanded while leading him by the hand.

Edward did not resist. He was now too weak to stand on principle, especially if it meant an end to his torture.

As they entered the washroom, they discovered that Jean-Paul was unconscious and Bella thought that it was for the best even though it gave the scoundrel a merciful ending. Edward quickly chose a spot on the man's neck that he would love to sink his teeth into. He knew he was starving now and yet it was not enough. His human tendencies still had some hold over his mind. Edward looked down at the pitiful captive and knew that he just could not kill, no matter what pain he would endure as a result.

"I can't do it, Bella," he said with a certainty that surprised even him.

Bella nodded and dropped Edward's hand. She walked over to Jean-Paul, took his throat in her delicate hand and drove her thumb into his soft flesh, causing a great gush of blood to gurgle out. Bella stepped back, fully anticipating what would happen next.

Edward was upon the man even before his eyes opened.

Edward was horrified at how delicious he found the warm torrent of blood flooding his throat. It was so much better than the vampire blood Jasper had given him but he had to fight to urge to vomit even as he savored the thick fluid. Edward considered that he would be able to stop himself, but then he heard Jean-Paul's last thought.

_Thank you._

Those two words allowed him to ease the suffering soul into the next world.

When the man was drained, Edward stood back, blood dripping from his mouth and onto his chest. He watched as his new scar shrank down to nothing. From behind him, Bella watched as the fist sized pucker on his back dwindled and smoothed over like it was made from soft beach sand.

Edward felt raw power course through his arms and legs but also felt a conflict inside his mind spring to life. There was no denying it now. He was a killer and he could not escape that.

Edward turned and walked out of the room, fast.

_It will get easier and easier as time goes by, _he heard Bella think and he spun on her.

"I don't WANT it to get any easier!" He screamed, his guilt now consuming him.

It wasn't that he had murdered the man. It wasn't that he did it by drinking the victim's blood until his life simply ran out. It wasn't even that he enjoyed it. It was the fact that he wanted to do it again and that he didn't care who he killed in order to enjoy that taste of warm, fresh blood that made him explode with blind panic and wild fright.

He fled upstairs so fast that Bella did not even have time to call his name.

When she followed him up, she saw her worst nightmare.

Edward was already halfway up the aisle, running as fast as possible toward the sun framed door separating them from the bright lobby.

Bella took off and flew but she could tell that she was not going to make it. Although she was gaining ground, passing several rows of chairs with every stride he took, Edward was just too far ahead and too fast to catch.

Bella could only hope to collide with him just as he pushed open the door.

Edward knew Bella was chasing him as he closed in on the lobby door and he heard her thoughts as she attempted to stop him.

_If we can't live together then we'll die together._

They both continued to speed towards the sun's mortal embrace.

**

* * *

****Notes:**

**I am very excited to announce that there will be a Twitter hosted read along of Bella Voce on Sunday, May 23****nd**** beginning at 5pm US EST time. You can join in by searching for #readalong and following that thread. The event is hosted by our good friend (at)Raizie7. Following her would also be a bonus.**

**Many thanks to Christine who found an English translation of the poem that appeared in this chapter, **_**O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst!**_** by Ferdinand Freiligrath**. **It made a wonderful addition to the narrative.**

**If you are interested in Bella Voce merchandise AND want to help support the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit ****the myt_spot(dot)com website. To make things easier, I have placed the link on my author's page. The work done on my behalf by (at)m81170 and (at)justduckie1 is exemplary and I thank them sincerely.**

**I want to recommend a new story available on FanFiction called _Voice For Me _by PachasPickMeUp. It is a story about a hearing impaired Bella and is co-authored by sisters who have been raised by deaf parents. Their narrative teaches the reader a great deal about Bella's culture. As someone is who legally blind and understands what it is like to be physically disabled, I have connected to this tale.**

**I am back on my regular update schedule so Chapter Fifteen will post next Saturday.**

**MOG**


	15. Chapter 15: Big Spoon

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear wrote a letter to Nintendo thanking them for Mario Galaxy 2.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Fifteen:**

**Big Spoon**

Jacob buried his parents' remains on a Sunday in the autumn of 1545. The day now held no particular reverence for him, but it was noted every week since.

On the Sunday when Edward was shot in the back by a jealous and unjustified husband, Jacob was watching the last winks of sunlight spill out of Esme's eyes. They chatted in the garden while watching the budding chess game between Rosalie and Judith.

The ominous first notes of the Moonlight Sonata did little to stir Jacob's tightly controlled emotions but, if he was being honest, his control had been slipping for a while. He had, in fact, been thinking how glad he was that he had not wiped any tears on his rabbit fir gloves all day and how happy he was to see that Rosalie might have a real challenger.

As the Sonata escorted the dusk into the courtyard, Jacob heard a faint _snick_. He stood up lightning fast but it was too late. The explosion from inside the parlor was strong enough to rattle the thin windows and caused all three ladies in the garden to mistake it for arguing clouds.

By the time Jacob knocked the chess table aside and entered the house, the echoes rolling around in the large entryway were joined by a smear of piano notes that traveled together like geese.

When he entered the room the smell of blood hung in the air like perfume. The man standing with his back to the door held his gun loosely in both hands but it was still barely two feet from Edward, who had been pushed against the piano with such force that it had moved forward six inches.

Jacob decided what he was going to do in an instant, and Margaret's high piercing scream was his cue to carry out his plans with ruthless efficiency. Jacob moved up to the armed man and thumped him with his finger so hard in the temple that his neck cracked as his head rocketed onto his shoulder and back up like an obedient marionette.

This method of assault would instantly incapacitate and had even been known to kill victims. It was Jacob's favored way of dispatching humans for Bella's consumption and, frankly, fit the occasion. He allowed the man to fall sideways where he landed at his wife's feet. She stopped screaming long enough to register his unceremonious dismissal, but the shocking scarlet smear in front of her re-captured her attention, as did the fact that a good portion of it was dripping from her hair.

She felt the heat from the barrel of the gun even as Edward left her side on the bench and the added shock of seeing her husband as the author of such a travesty was almost more than her coping skills would allow.

She began again with renewed vigor.

Jacob ran over to Edward and a quick examination confirmed his worst fears. Tiny scoops of air were coming and going from his nose and his pupils were widening before Jacob's eyes. He carefully picked Edward up and placed him, chest down, on his big round shoulder. Edward's own weight helped quiet the flow of blood from his broken body while Jacob held him in place with a large hand over the walnut sized hole in Edward's back.

He then grabbed the prone intruder by one leg and dragged him through the back of the house and out the open kitchen door. The same way he came in. The gun was dislodged from Jean-Paul's hands in the dining room, tipping two chairs over in the process.

The journey to the theatre was long and torturous for all three men. Jean-Paul was scraping and bouncing on the gravel the entire way. Edward drifted in and out of consciousness, moaning weakly when awake even though he was in a riot of pain. Jacob was angry at himself for failing to protect Edward and became more certain with each step that he was doing nothing more than carrying two corpses through the purpling streets of Paris.

It was not lost on Jacob that this was the second time he had run Edward to safety despite having a two-horsed carriage at his command. Even with two people in tow, Jacob was faster on foot in these kinds of situations. He knew could he rely on his speed and stamina and running also allowed him to choose the path of least resistance.

This is not to say that it wasn't quite the spectacle, especially when Jean-Paul would bounce particularly high before crashing back down on his shoulders. Sometimes he looked like a ribbon fluttering behind Jacob, his outside leg catching on the occasional bystander, sending them to the ground.

Jacob regretted any injuries but, in truth, he was moving inhumanly fast and was therefore already taking a tremendous risk. It might be better that those people close enough to get a good look were knocked to the ground. He was being as careful as he possibly could.

With Edward.

He savagely pressed forward despite any resistance from his lesser cargo and should have been concerned by the astonished stares and shouts he encountered from one Parisian after another but, as Edward's body began to still and grow heavier on his shoulder, he knew he was running out of time.

When Jacob entered the auditorium he flung Jean-Paul mercilessly over the rows of chairs and bounded to the stage bellowing Bella's name. He placed Edward on his back in the center of the stage and listened intently for any signs of life from either the dying man in front of him or the woman downstairs. He was half lucky.

Bella had been awake and working on music in preparation for that night's rehearsal. She had been in the pit just moments before, sitting at the piano, but went downstairs to see if Alice had woken up. Beth and Julie were due early to clean up some pesky syncopation issues and Alice had a few ideas on how to simplify and strengthen the moves. Alice had just emerged into Bella's room from the dark tunnel when they heard Jacob's frantic call.

They raced upstairs and both women smelled the blood when they reached Bella's sitting room, the double doors doing little to mask the tantalizing smell.

A smell Bella instantly recognized.

She had even tasted a little of that blood just the night before.

Alice was excited. The smell of fresh blood was a heavenly aroma to a vampire when just waking up.

"Stop!" Bella warned and grabbed Alice's shoulder. "It's Edward."

Alice looked confused but nodded her head.

They ran onto the stage and stood horrified at what lay before them. Edward was painted in red and Jacob's eyes were wet brown planets of worry. "I think it's too late," he said kneeling beside the still body.

Jacob's statement held two meanings; too late to save him, and too late to turn him. He had brought Edward to the theatre because Jacob believed his best chance at survival would be a transformation from Bella. Now he also realized that bringing the wounded man into the theatre with two vampires, one of whom was fairly young and extremely unpredictable, was a risky endeavor at best.

Jacob stood up, positioning himself in a protective stance over the dying man. The time had come to protect the young, bleeding man from a ravaging attack from either or both women who appeared to be barely holding back.

Alice eased most of Jacob's fears by turning to Bella with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said as she turned around and fled down the staircase.

Bella remained but she had been driven to attack by a pinprick less than ten years earlier and was still a liability as far as Jacob was concerned.

She rushed over with only concern in her eyes but Jacob still did not relax. As she reached out a hand to touch Edward's face, Jacob grabbed her arm. She looked at him in angry bewilderment and Jacob responded by pulling the double headed hand axe from behind his jacket. In a fluid movement, he slashed Bella's wrist with the sharp rounded blade.

"I think it's too late," he said again urgently and shoved Bella's bleeding wound into Edward's slack mouth. His desperation was palpable and fell on her like a heavy blanket.

Bella did not resist Jacob's actions even when pain blossomed in her wrist. She ignored it in favor of her mission to speak with Edward one more time. Bella sat down and wordlessly pulled Edward's head into her lap. She would allow his mouth to fill with her dark blood and then she would sit him up so it could drift down his throat.

Jacob could see the grim determination on Bella's face crack into doubtful rivers that ran down her cheeks. He knew it was taking every ounce of strength she possessed not to succumb to her own blood thirst. When she was certain that Edward had swallowed enough blood to transform an elephant, she removed her healing wrist from his mouth.

Jacob then picked him up and walked with him down the stairwell to Bella's room.

Alice had been back and forth between apartments, delivering many extra blankets and towels and had already drawn a shallow bath in Bella's washroom. Jacob carried Edward toward the sound of running water. He placed Edward on the step of the circular stone tub and peeled off their bloody clothes. He then brought up handfuls of water and washed Edward's wounds, feeling for any sigh of healing. After he turned Edward over to the two women to be dried and dressed, he stayed in to wash the blood off of his body before dressing in new clothes provided by Alice.

Jean-Paul was quiet and still upstairs, Jacob had been listening closely, and nabbed him on the way up to his attic to be bound and placed in the wardrobe until needed. As he tied the man's limbs and stuffed a rag into his mouth, Jacob noticed that he was indeed still alive.

How very unfortunate for him.

Jacob went back down to help out in any way but Bella told both he and Alice that there was nothing to do but wait. She reminded them that it wouldn't be until sometime the next afternoon before they knew if the transformation was successful.

The three of them agreed that until they knew one way or the other to keep all of the Cullens in the dark. Jacob knew that this would strain his relationship with Rosalie severely but if they could get through this first day and if Edward opened his eyes again, they would count it as a victory.

Alice was an optimist. She immediately began planning all sorts of things for Edward's vampire life and went back to her apartment once more for her measuring tape. She wanted to begin making custom clothes for him and, while Bella thought it was in bad taste, she did not stop her friend until she reached around his waist for a hip measurement. She abruptly told Alice that she had all she was going to get for the time being and to please just let him be. Alice understood Bella's outburst and graciously retired to her room to cut fabric. She was reminded of how her own transformation now played a part in Bella's state of mind and a feeling, close to guilt, whispered in her ear.

* * *

An hour later, Jacob discovered Jasper at the theatre's entrance.

He wanted to know why a distraught Dr. Cullen would show up at the morgue looking for his dead son.

He told Jacob that Rosalie and Esme were at the hospital with Carlisle and Emmett and now understood that Edward was not there. "We are now splitting up to search all other hospitals in the city," Jasper explained, "and I offered to check the theatre to see if you had returned."

"What do they know?" Jacob asked.

"They think Edward was shot in the back. They pieced it together just before I saw Carlisle, but they aren't positive of anything except that he is not at Val-de-Grace."

"He's here." Jacob confirmed and led Jasper downstairs. "It's bad. He was shot with a huge caliber slug but I'm pretty sure it exited from his chest."

Jasper greeted Bella with a solemn nod and a quick squeeze of her shoulder as he rushed over to Edward. His face instantly revealed his sorrow and it became a pleading grimace after he inspected the young man's body.

"He's dead," Jasper said the words with disbelief.

Bella wailed, her heart melted into a hard diamond of grief. Alice's footfalls could already be heard by the group as she steamed through the tunnel in response to the anguished cry.

"What do you mean dead?" Jacob demanded.

"Vampires have something I can see," Jasper whispered, "and he doesn't have it."

"But we turned him! Bella fed him! Look at her!" Jacob closed his eyes to regain control of the crushing disappointment.

Jasper looked over at Bella who was so pale she was practically transparent. In that moment he swore that he cold see blue veins weave their way across her delicate cheekbones. Alice walked in and looked very relieved to see Jasper despite the look on his care worn face.

"If he has indeed been exposed to vampire blood I can try something," Jasper explained. "It's going to be risky but, first, do we have any human blood for Bella right now?"

"Yes, we do." Jacob nodded at Bella as he walked up the spiral staircase and out of the room. Jasper began emptying his pockets. He took a syringe and plunged the needle into a vein in his upturned forearm.

"What are you doing?" Bella's curious hope drawing her forward.

"You filled his belly with vampire blood so the poison has been at work, just not as fast as it should be," Jasper muttered the rest more to himself, as he drew the syringe to full height, filling it with his own blood. "He didn't have enough saturation at the beginning so I'll use human lifesaving techniques to circulate my blood through his entire body."

Without another word, Jasper chose a vein in Edward's neck and began pushing the red liquid back through the needle.

"What can we do?" Bella asked as Alice nodded her head vigorously.

"His heart is intact," Jasper said, actually being able to see some of the strong, undamaged organ. "Press down on it over and over again."

Bella hurried over to the other side of the bed and climbed up to kneel beside Edward. She put both hands together instinctively and began compressing his heart. Her fatigue quickly overtook her and, within a few minutes, she nearly fell on top of him.

"Let me do that," Alice said and took over for the struggling Bella. "You need to go and wait for your nourishment." As if on cue, the squeaking from the bathroom filtered between the two curtains and made Jasper look up.

"If that's your dinner, get going," he instructed.

Bella walked toward the curtains with purpose but stopped just before ducking inside. "How much can I take and still leave him alive?" She had a hard quality to her voice that Jasper both feared and admired.

"About half," he answered, honestly.

Bella was inside the washroom for only a matter of minutes before they all heard her savagely beat the murderer for his crime. It sounded to Alice as though Bella was in more pain than the human she was punishing and it kept her focused on her compressions to Edward's already battered chest.

Internally, his heart was receiving its first dose of vampire blood.

Jasper made a fast decision and took blood from Alice as well and, after a few more minutes, called Bella back from her rampage to participate. Jacob eventually returned to Bella's apartment and Jasper momentarily considered asking him for a blood sample before dismissing the idea altogether. Jacob was not a vampire, that much was blindingly obvious to Jasper, but his animalistic qualities and loyal behavior suggested a host of theories, none of which Jasper had time for at the moment.

"I don't know what this will do to him," Jasper admitted. "It's a last resort but, if it does work, I will be very interested in his abilities."

"What abilities?" Jacob asked.

"I don't have any abilities!" Alice protested.

"Let's just see if he wakes up," Bella said somberly. Her tone worried Jacob and he turned to study his friend. She looked as though she had given up hope but her teeth were still gritted, a souvenir from the other room to compliment the droplets of blood on her forehead.

"What makes you think he'll have abilities so soon?" Jacob clung to his lifeline of hope and walked over to where Jasper was working.

"I think that vampire blood seeping into our human bodies is what makes us stronger over time," Jasper began. "We usually don't use our veins to carry blood and so the best paths in to and out of the major organs are closed. Eventually, we simply absorb enough to give our bodies and minds more power to work with."

Alice was pumping away like a piston. "But we drink human blood mostly," she stated. "Where does all this vampire blood come from?"

Jasper smiled, it was a good question, but had an elementary answer. "We digest it and take what we need from it," he explained, "but that changes its make-up somehow. The result is vampire blood, it's poisonous to humans as you know, and can even give us strength if we drink it but human blood is vital to our continued survival."

Jacob thought he understood. "So you are speeding up the process by injecting vampire blood into his circulatory system then having Alice push it directly into his organs by providing a heartbeat."

"That's right." Jasper was impressed, as usual, with Jacob's quick assessment of complicated matters. "I used all three vampire sources in the room. Bella and I are quite old, as you know, and I firmly believe that plays a part in the development of a new vampire."

"I think it does as well," Jacob agreed. "Just look at Alice, she's quite strong and skilled for someone so young."

Alice was hardly amused at the back handed compliment and Edward's ribs were poking into her hands.

"Do you have any way of knowing if it's working?" Bella asked.

"Not really," Jasper sighed, "but if it does Edward will be a very powerful vampire. He is going through hundreds of years of organ saturation in one night."

Jacob walked over to Bella, who was watching the scene unfold with her hands in her mouth. "You know how long this can take Bella," he rubbed her shoulders with huge but gentle hands as he spoke. "Try to rest, if you can. He will need you alert and healthy when he wakes up. Do you want me to tell the boys to go home?"

"What boys?" Bella asked, absentmindedly.

"The pit," Jacob answered. "Rehearsal starts in a few hours." Bella had completely forgotten.

"Cancel it." Jasper and Alice said together then looked at each other and smiled at their shared answer.

"No." Bella said. Canceling rehearsal could raise suspicions but also she prayed it would distract her from the events taking place even though she knew distraction was impossible. "I'm going to work if I can. Will you two stay down here with him and come to me if anything happens?"

"Yes," came another unison reply.

"If you're sure," Jacob said. "I'm going to attempt to convince Edward's family that we have things under control."

Jacob's intentions caught Jasper's undivided attention.

"Please do not mention my involvement, Jacob," he stated, still working on Edward. "Carlisle would never forgive me, vampire or not, for hiding information about his son."

"I will not be mentioning any names," Jacob promised, fixing Jasper's face with a stern look, and walked up the stairs to return to the Cullen house.

If Carlisle was searching Paris for his dead son, Jacob needed to reassure the Cullens that Edward was alright, even if he was not. Besides, he needed to retrieve his carriage and could not think of taking it away without giving them some information, even if it was a lie.

When he arrived at the usually bustling and warm house, it appeared dark and empty. There was, however, a recurring brushing noise that peaked his curiosity. Jacob went around to the garden gate and quietly entered the courtyard where he mingled with the shadows, knowing already that reflections from inside the house were masking his place on the other side of the window.

What he saw inside the parlor was heartbreaking.

Esme was on her knees in front of the piano furiously scrubbing the pink wooden floor. She was crying hard and her tears fell in fat drops landing on her hands. Jacob watched as Rosalie then entered the room silently with a new bucket of steaming water and a hug for her mother.

"Dad will find him," Rosalie said, her voice quiet but confident. "Jacob must have taken him to a less crowded hospital." She sounded convincing but Jacob could see the worried expression Rosalie was hiding from her mother on her puffy face.

He knew that he could no longer avoid them and felt, in that moment, that he would not successfully stand up to their unified grief. Rosalie offered to take her mother's place but she refused with a shake of her head. Rosalie complied. She was not going to force Esme from the spot.

Jacob took a deep breath and approached the kitchen door. He still did not know what he was going to tell them but at least Carlisle was not there to interrogate him.

He knocked lightly.

* * *

"I've done everything I can do for him," Jasper said putting his medical instruments back into his wrinkled white coat, "but I would like to stay here tonight if you don't mind."

Bella was pacing around the two brick pillars holding up the stage that Edward had fallen through only weeks before. "I would appreciate that, thank you."

"I'll keep the passageway open tonight and come running if you need me," Alice offered.

"Bella?" Jasper looked her apologetically before continuing. "If you could tell me about the other person you turned before you met Alice I might be able to learn something that could help Edward when he wakes up."

Bella was prepared for the question from the moment Jasper first arrived and was planning on telling him what happened but the way he said _when_ _Edward wakes up_ made her trust her instincts about Jasper's goodness and his understanding in the matter. Alice would always have her trust of course.

"His name was Felix," Bella began, "and I had only been a vampire for a decade."

Alice sat cross legged on the floor and Jasper looked surprised that Bella had spoken so easily.

"I kept my clergy robes and moved from cathedral to cathedral helping out when I could," Bella continued. "There were no hospitals back then, of course, and the clergy inherited the task of physical as well as spiritual healing." Jasper nodded in understanding. He had seen the health care situation dramatically improve over the last few generations. Prior to that, it had been a disgrace for any educated race.

"During the plague century," as Bella called it, "when the cathedrals closed their gates to the infected, the bodies piled up outside high enough to climb. The rest of the injured would usually lie on soiled straw inside with the horses." Bella remembered several large churches with very poor care management and never failed to get the monks and priests to agree with every single idea she had for improvement. "I stayed a few months at most, helping restructure broken systems for human care but was careful to stay to inner chambers during the day. Since I could read and write in five languages, I usually spent the days giving lessons to the monks."

Bella sighed. "I felt like a hypocrite and a prisoner but it was better then digging a hole every night and I convinced myself that I was doing some good while I secretly fed on men dying from battle wounds. Over time, I moved all the way to Italy and back."

"You met Jacob in Spain." Alice stated.

"Yes, but by then I wasn't a nun anymore," Bella answered. "I turned Felix in…" She paused, her eyes drifting up while she attempted to recall any festival or new book acquired that would help her pinpoint a year, "…1550 or 1551 I think. I met Jacob about seventy years later."

"You would have been forced to change your lifestyle eventually," Jasper said. "The first century is easy for us but, after that, we just can't handle being around humans for very long."

"I already can't," Alice noted, a questioning tone in her voice. "I almost had to leave rehearsal the other week."

"You're special because of Bella's blood, I think." Jasper looked more excited than worried now that the procedure was completed. "Edward is going to be even more primal and that might make him hard to control."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, alarmed.

"I think our hunger growing with age is a natural way to help us learn to cope with its powerful grip." He looked at Alice. "If a newborn wakes up with the hunger of a centurion, like you, it can be difficult."

"It was torture," Alice agreed.

"I had to stop her from a near frenzy twice that first night alone," Bella added.

"Edward could wake up with the hunger of someone my age, but without the experience and coping skills he would need to deal with it." Jasper let the words take hold. Bella reflected and remembered how she felt in the 1700's when she would emerge naked from the ocean and prey on any unfortunate soul alone on the beach. When they say her approach, many of the unfortunate men fell under the false impression that it was going to be the best day of their lives.

"What do we do?" Bella asked.

"How can you stand it at Val-de-Grace then?" Alice asked at the same time.

"We prepare ourselves to physically restrain him if we have to." Jasper spoke to Bella seriously.

"I was denied blood at the pleasure of my mistress." Turning his attention, he explained his past to Alice in a wounded voice that stopped her line of questioning. Jasper had developed skills to resist temptation until given permission. It had taken months after Victoria's death for him to he did not need her approval to feed anymore.

"Tell us more about Felix, please Bella?" Jasper asked.

"I planned my trips between cathedrals carefully since there were often two or three days of travel between them," Bella obliged. "I hid in the root cellars of farmers I'd slain or slept in the deep caves in Northern Europe."

"How deep?" Alice asked.

"I've been in caves so deep that you'd have to fly to get to the bottom," Bella said.

"You can fly." Alice observed.

"That's true." Bella realized she would have to re-visit a few mysteries now that she could. "The caves Jacob and I lived in had several kilometers of passages and at least one grand opening that could swallow this little theatre whole.

I was on my way to a smaller cave, one I called the flower because it had one large round room with many tunnels that went out and looped back like big petals. I stayed there a few times before and was getting close early one morning when I came across a dying man in the road."

Bella sat down next to Edward and stroked his hair while she spoke. "He was a soldier, a staple of my diet back then and I couldn't believe my good fortune. It looked like he had taken a bad fall from his horse. When I approached him he saw my robes and began thanking God for saving him. He had prayed for an angel and there I was dressed as a nun and walking the road in the middle of the night."

Jasper nodded his understanding. Alice sat next to her friend and rested her head on Bella's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"I carried him to the cave, fed on him and then cut my hand and squeezed some blood into his mouth. He sputtered and coughed and then lay still for almost a whole day before waking up." She was already burdened with the thought of losing Edward, and now the memory of Felix threatened to unravel her.

"He was awful," she whispered. "Obsessed with his power and immortality. On the first night he went out and exacted revenge on as many enemies as he could and I couldn't stop him. The next night was far worse. He was sick with power and did unspeakable things."

Jasper and Alice sat in silence while Bella gathered herself from the tangle of memories pulling at her.

"I left him the night after that and went to the cathedral where I could possibly hear gossip of his deeds. And I did. He was described as a demon on the road who bit children or anyone who got in his way at night. I was ashamed and I could do nothing. Jacob and I looked for him once but never found so much as a clue to his existence."

"Those types never last long," Jasper said. "They attract too much attention from both sides."

* * *

Jacob returned to the theatre in time to let the musicians in but Bella kept the rehearsal short. She explained to everyone that Edward's head was still giving him problems and no one believed anything less. Laurent, Milo and everyone else in the pit could see that Bella was upset and distracted and no one was surprised when she called the evening to a close early.

After checking on Edward, Jacob was strangely absent, spending much of the time up in his room. He was not sure of what to make of his conversation with Rosalie, she did most of the talking and was strangely collected. She even gave him directions to the Sophia place without asking why.

Bella met with everyone individually after rehearsal, as usual, paying them with unfolded paper and smiling brightly enough to make them wonder why they had ever thought she was distraught. Laurent was the only one who was not convinced by her performance.

"I want to help you, Miss Sawn." Laurent said earnestly as she walked him to the door. "What can I do?"

"Nothing yet," Bella said trying to take her own advice. "I promise I will send for you, Laurent, if I need you."

"Very well." He would have to believe that she would follow through on her promise, if necessary. "Good night and please convey my very best to Edward," he added before strolling out into the late summer evening.

"I will," Bella said, but she forgot to do so.

The night went as expected. Despite her worries about Edward, her exhaustion took control and Bella slept fitfully next to him on their bed. Jasper sat with his back against her bookshelf and read. Before the sun came up he excused himself to go back to Notre-Dame briefly and returned with a black leather saddle bag that he placed on the floor next to him.

Jacob spent most of his time wondering how long it was going to take before Rosalie and Esme knew that they had been lied to and what reaction was in store for him. He had plans to visit the soon-to-be widow Sophia that morning and wanted those dealings to be complete before angry Cullens showed up at the theatre demanding his head.

He checked in on Bella before he left and found her sleeping, her face pressed into Edward's lifeless hand. Jasper nodded from his reacquired book and Jacob informed him where he was going.

"I'll be back before he wakes up," Jacob whispered and climbed the stairs thinking that the odds of him being wrong about that were frustratingly minute.

Jacob had to ride outside the city to reach the Sophia home. He assumed that they drove the carriage Jean-Paul left behind as he did not notice it the night before. It took almost two hours to reach their farm house and Jacob admired the commitment they all had made to Judith's lessons by traveling so far every week. Jean-Paul must have driven them into the city and then just killed time waiting for the lessons to end.

As he rode onto the unfamiliar property he saw two brown surly horses that looked like they had been attached to each other all night. Jacob did not approve.

Margaret opened the door to her home at the sound of Jacob's approach. She looked as tired as the horses and was wearing the same clothes she had on the day before. Her eyes were alert but drooped with lack of sleep. Jacob could relate.

"What have you done with my husband?" she asked in a cracked yet harsh voice.

Jacob fixed her with a stare that was frighteningly cold. Punishing her for the stiff greeting, if not the murderous act committed by her husband. Jacob made her wait for the answer until he slowly climbed down from the carriage.

"I have taken your husband to justice, Madame," he said in a quiet but confident voice. "You will never see him again."

She nodded her head, expecting the response.

He produced a canvas sack that sagged with weight and dropped it at her feet. It thudded to the ground like a cannonball. "What he did was not your fault, and we wish you the best, but…"

"What do you want us to do?" Margaret asked quickly. Jacob thought she looked properly scared, which he had expected, but there was something else. Relief, perhaps, but disproportionate. Looking past her, Jacob noticed that Judith had cracked the front door and was monitoring the conversation.

"Take this money and start a new life, somewhere else, and never mention this to anyone again." He looked at Margaret and then at the door with such intensity that Judith had no choice but to timidly walk out.

Margaret bent down and looked into the bag. It was filled with rough cut silver pieces. It was no small fortune. Jacob knew it was too much money but it was nothing to him. Bella was a generous employer and had more money than the Pope. Jacob helped her design the vault that held her treasure in a carved out space behind her large long bookshelf. It held more secrets than the moon and probably weighed twice as much.

She reached to pick up the sack but Jacob stuck out his hand like he was meeting a president. "Do we have a deal?"

Margaret placed her small hand inside his. "The authorities don't know anything about this do they?" She said, looking up and into Jacob's own drooping brown eyes.

"They do not," he confirmed squeezing her hand gently, "and for all our sakes I think we should call this an even trade." She nodded and returned his squeeze. When he let go he knelt in front of Judith.

"Child, I'm sorry for what happened yesterday but the faster you put it behind you and get away from it, the better you'll feel." His eyes bulged with moisture. "Soon you won't even remember what happened at all."

"Is Edward going to be okay?" Margaret asked, guilt and fear creeping into her voice.

"No." Jacob replied simply and rode away with salty rivers of tears forcing the wind to stick to his cheeks.

* * *

Jacob's next errand took him to various markets in the country, a luxury. He was looking for a replacement to Rosalie's jade king. _Bella has a ruby king now, _he thought as he let the crowd massage his body and the French language dance in his ears.

He knew what was coming. He would have to keep Edward's family away from their son for longer than they could forgive, no matter what the result.

This would be the last day he would spend in the country with a girl in Paris who still loved him.

Jacob found an exquisite miniature suit of armor that was the same size as her chess pieces and even had a green and gold cloak that matched its would-be jade counterparts. It was clearly one of the most labor intensive metal masterpieces Jacob had ever seen and he gaped when he saw that even the finger joints were perfectly fitted allowing the hands to open and close into fists. It stood on a stand, held by the waist and even the feather in the helmet was green. He took it with him and cradled it in his hands like a baby until he had to climb up onto his carriage. It then sat beside him on the bench as they rode home.

The ride back into the city was beautiful but long. Jacob did not reach the theatre until late afternoon and he wanted to check on Edward before going back over to the Cullen house. His knew his story would not hold up against Carlisle's scrutiny but, if it bought him the time he needed to report that Edward was awake and speaking, he might somehow be able to convince them to let him continue to handle the situation.

Jacob entered the lobby and walked immediately down to Bella's apartment thinking about the Cullen women and their inevitable demand for a proper explanation and about how he would have to make sure the Sophia widow made a quiet exit soon. He arrived downstairs distracted by worry only to look up and see Edward Cullen, vampire.

He was strikingly beautiful and he was moving fluidly over to Jacob with his hand extended. "You saved my life." Even his voice was fluid. Jacob stepped in and scooped him up in a fierce embrace.

"Be careful, Jacob. He has only been awake for a few minutes," Bella said from behind him.

Edward stepped away from Jacob and turned to Bella. "Who's in there?" he asked pointing to her washroom.

Jacob understood and could not believe what he was hearing. "Jesus, is he STILL alive?" he asked looking around at the other three vampires.

"Is who alive?" Edward asked. He had a new quality to his voice. If he had been a horse, Jacob would have said he sounded spooked. He thought to himself.

_I have a feeling Bella is about to show you._

"You have my murderer in there?" Edward did not wait for an answer. He stormed into the washroom tearing one of the curtains off in the process. Bella followed him but the rest of them waited outside.

"He's not going to like this," Jacob predicted.

"His heart is too big," Jasper added.

"He'll cave in, we all do," Alice said and they all nodded solemnly.

They listened to Bella and Edward's heated discussion in united silence until Edward backed into the room. "I'm not killing him, Bella."

"He's already dead." Bella was behind him pressing her argument. "And when we went up to the Tower that first time, you said yourself that you would only kill criminals."

"Who is he?" Edward looked around for an answer.

"Jean-Paul Sophia." Jacob said.

"Judith's father? Why would he…?" Edward froze, realization dawning on his face and darkening in response. He stood there with blinking eyes, gaping and twitching with emotion.

When the pounding on the glass theatre doors began, Jacob turned like he had been expecting it and walked dutifully upstairs. Everyone watched him go. Edward, hearing his sister, became even more agitated but Jacob could hear Bella soothe him as he made his way across the stage floor.

Rosalie was standing in front of the locked lobby doors with the bright afternoon sun caught in her golden hair. Her red lips were parted in a sneer as Jacob stepped outside, locking the door behind him.

"Val-de-Grace IS the military hospital Jacob!" She yelled at him. "Why would you ever think you can lie to me?"

"I'm sorry Rosalie…"

"I don't want to hear your apologies, Jacob." Rosalie steamrolled his words with her own. "Where did you take my brother? Is he here?" She nodded her chin toward the theatre doors.

Jacob hesitated. It was his undoing. Rosalie demanded entrance right then and there. He denied it immediately.

"Please, you have to trust me," Jacob said, his voice was calm and strong but his eyes pleaded with hers.

"Ha!" Rosalie angrily laughed in his face. "That's too bad because I'm fresh out of trust for you."

Jacob tried to calm her down by putting his hands on her shoulders. This was also a mistake.

"Get your hands off me!" she shouted, attracting looks from people on the street. She knew that the last thing Jacob wanted was extra attention and this gave her an idea. "I will go get the authorities right now Jacob and make you let me in."

"It won't work," he told her honestly, "but please just give me one more day and I promise that you will see Edward again." Jacob leveled Rosalie with a stare that begged her to comply.

"You mean he's alright?" Rosalie softened like ice cream, at the hint of news regarding her missing brother. "He's not dead?"

Jacob chose his words carefully, not knowing what the future would bring. "I think he's going to make it but it's still too early to tell."

"I can handle it if he dies," she whispered, "but Jacob, it will kill my mother. You saw her last night. Why can't you just let me in so I can tell her he's still alive?"

"You can't come in Little Spoon, I'm sorry." His voice choked with his apology.

"I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE SPOON!" She bellowed at him. "AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME IN RIGHT NOW I WILL NEVER TALK TO YOU AGAIN!"

Jacob shook his head. He needed a little more time. He had a moment to wonder if Carlisle would have been easier to deal with before she spoke again, softly this time.

"I mean it, Jacob. If you don't let me see my brother I will leave you and I will hate you for the rest of my life."

Jacob could not speak but he also could not remove the barrier he had created between Rosalie and the theatre door.

When it became clear to her that Jacob had chosen his side Rosalie walked away slowly, not one tear escaping her eyes.

When Jacob reappeared downstairs, the four vampires were seated in a circle on the large bed. Jasper was holding an empty bottle. Bella stood up and glided over to him to embrace him. He wanted to believe the encouraging words she whispered in his ear but his heart was locked in an iron box.

He went up to his room to beg for a sleep that would never come. By the time dawn had alerted the birds to sing, he had only lost hope.

Jacob never gave the suit of armor to Rosalie and did not think she would accept it even if he tried to. He removed it from its stand and set in carefully on a branch of his fig tree. He wondered if he could climb inside it. He felt as small as that figurine.

He spent a few hours painting the stage floor and busying himself with various theatre maintenance and then decided to take a carriage ride through the city hoping it would clear his head. The Seine was a clean and fast flowing river that never ceased to captivate him and he planned on finding a place to sit for a while.

Bella rarely woke up before noon but he expected to return by then.

When Jacob locked the theatre doors and approached his carriage, he made an unexpected discovery.

Carlisle was waiting for him, calmly feeding apples to his horses. He had been there long enough to hitch the horses together and climbed wordlessly up into the bench, leaving the whip's seat open, when he saw Jacob walk into the stables.

"Let's take a ride" Carlisle said calmly.

* * *

**Notes:**

**Admittedly, a hat trick of lemons between Jacob and Rosalie isn't for everybody, and wouldn't even fit my own story but for Alex's Lemonade Stand and the Fandom Gives Back project I am going nuts with these two and it shouldn't be missed. I assure you that it WILL NOT appear anywhere else s****o please contact my dear friend April, who picked me up from the airport, to join Team Bella Voce. She will make sure that your FGB/ALS donation will get you the exclusive outtakes from my story.**

**She can be reached via email - aredi411(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also tweet her (at)aRedi.**

******If you are interested in Bella Voce merchandise AND want to help support the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit ****the myt_spot(dot)com website. To make things easier, I have placed the link on my author's page. All proceeds for the sale of these items will go to the fundraiser.**

**MOG**


	16. Chapter 16: Little Spoon

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

**Morgan Locklear is way too excited for the #trekalong this evening.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Little Spoon**

Rosalie watched her jade chess piece fall off the table and knew that it was a sign of things to come.

Even as it smashed on the patio she could see Jacob enter the other room and when Mrs. Sophia started screaming, she felt her stomach first clench, then loosen in a frightening and painful convulsion that left her rooted to the spot. When Jacob struck the strange man who had somehow found his way into their parlor she was sparked into motion. She seized Judith by the hand and walked her quickly over to Esme, who was sitting with her back to the window. Her mother was just beginning to suspect that thunder was not the culprit when Rosalie grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her to her feet.

Rosalie's instincts told her to get them all away from the house so she led them to the gate at the back of the garden but when she pushed her way through it there was Jacob, already outside, and carrying two men. One was over his shoulder and looked like an injured Edward; the other was being dragged by the foot. She did not recognize him but Judith did and whimpered as Jacob sped up to a blur.

He had gone out the kitchen door to their left and it was still on the downswing when Rosalie looked over. In the split second it took for her to look back to the street, Jacob was a hundred feet away and disappearing. Before she had time to consider the possibilities of how he had accomplished such a feat, Esme broke free from her daughter's grasp and began running after her son.

Rosalie looked at Judith, who looked back, foggy but breathing steadily. "Can you help your mother?" she asked. Judith nodded and walked back through the garden, not wanting to stand on the same porch where Jacob had been.

Rosalie easily caught up to her mother near Jacob's carriage. "Climb in Mama," she said calmly. "I'll get us to Val-de-Grace, we'll be right behind him." This was the best plan she could think of. Glancing back to the house, she saw Judith walking her mother through the garden and Rosalie could see that Margaret looked like she needed to go to the hospital herself. Rosalie offered them a ride but the woman made her way wordlessly past them and to her own horses. Rosalie felt this was for the best and closed the door on her bewildered mother. She then climbed up to the bench and grabbed the whip.

Rosalie had spent enough time with the horses, sixteen hand black Friesians originating from the Netherlands, and knew them well. When she took the reins, she called them by name. Bree, the lead horse, was a sweetheart but getting older and therefore cranky in the mornings. Her sibling, a thoroughbred with the same sire and dam, Rebecca, could be difficult but only when she was behind other horses. Rosalie made a mental note to keep her distance from other carriages when she reached the more congested parts of the city.

She tapped Bree lightly on her right hip with the whip and both animals sprang into action. They responded very well to Rosalie's guidance and the journey to Val-de-Grace was mercifully uneventful. As she journeyed through the shadow filled afternoon, Rosalie kept seeing the dark red fingers spreading across her brother's back. The way in which his limp arms were swinging as Jacob ran made her wonder what kind of heartache they were moving towards.

When they arrived at the old hospital, Rosalie tied the horses to a tree near the large low building. It had sets of columns framing the large wooden door, resembling something built in Rome. They were fortunate to find a spot close to the building as it looked like a busy day. When the women went inside, they found themselves in a frantic ten ring circus with no ring master. Every bed in the main hall was occupied and there was a flurry of people moving in and out of the two hallways leading to the surgical bays, storage areas and various other rooms.

Esme had experience looking for her husband in crowds and the ride over had calmed her down enough to recognize this as a moment for her to be proactive. She leaned over to Rosalie and whispered something in her ear. Rosalie nodded, whispered something back and both women separated.

Esme had suggested that they split up and walk along either wall looking for Carlisle. Rosalie observed that Jacob would be easier to find in the crowd. As they moved up either side of the large open space with high windows feeding in the last shards of daylight, they scanned for both men with no luck.

Rosalie did, however, locate Emmett and approached him.

"Excuse me, Dr. McCarty?" Rosalie had to weave her way through a few people to get within earshot.

Emmett turned around and his eyes first widened, then narrowed, "Oh. Hello, Rosalie. Where's your beau?"

Rosalie did not take the bait. "I was hoping you could tell me that, Emmett. Edward has been hurt and we think Jacob brought him here." She could see that he was still hurt by her performance during the bluff game but she also knew from her father that Emmett was an able and intelligent man and that he would help her.

"Again!" Emmett smiled. It might have turned into an out right laugh but he quickly saw Rosalie's eyes twinkle with moisture. His face hardened with focus and professionalism. "Let's find your father. He's in the back." Emmett spun around, taking Rosalie by the hand, and walked briskly toward the back of the room. Although his hand felt unfamiliar around hers, Rosalie found comfort in his strong grasp. Emmett spotted Esme waiting for them near the hallway. He could see the worry and fear on her face and became more determined to locate his mentor. He touched her on the shoulder before he squeezed past and into the first of many rooms in the corridor.

Together, they found Carlisle just inside the fourth door. He was consulting with another doctor about treatment for a chemical burn. Esme took him by the hand and spoke through the shocked look on Carlisle's face at the sight of his aggravated wife.

"Is Edward here?" She was practically shaking him.

"No." he caught up with the meaning behind the question a second later. "Oh no." Carlisle gave her an exasperated look and cocked his head to the side, almost in jest, but she fixed his gaze and shook her head solemnly.

"He was bleeding from his back." Esme said this like it was in a foreign language, stumbling on emphasis. Carlisle immediately felt cold sweat at his temples, a wound in the back was serious. He pictured his son bleeding and tortured by pain and hurried into the main hall. Carlisle controlled the raw dread and electric panic that held most non medical professionals prisoner in such situations and focused his attention on the search for his boy.

Despite their reassurance that Edward was not in the main hall, Carlisle insisted on checking every single bed. By the time he had satisfied himself that Edward was not anywhere on the ground floor, twilight had surrendered the windows to the stars.

The two doctors regrouped and began gathering what little information the women had about the nature of Edward's injury. When Carlisle inhaled sharply and ran off towards the stairwell, they all followed him down to a rank smelling and dimly lit part of the hospital.

Jasper was calmly investigating the lungs of a man who had died that afternoon when Carlisle pressed through the door. "Dr. Whitlock?" he said formally. "Have you seen my son…" He took a breath, realizing that he was not prepared for the possible answer, "…down here?"

"No," Jasper answered quickly. "What happened?" The arrival of three out of four Cullens was alarming and, as Jasper had high hopes for Edward, he was very saddened to see that they all sincerely thought he could be dead and lying in the morgue.

"I'm not sure," Carlisle said. "The girls saw Jacob carrying him from the house after what sounded like an explosion in the parlor."

"An explosion?" Jasper was horrified. Explosions could level houses and kill everyone inside.

"It sounded more like a cannon," Rosalie corrected.

Carlisle opened his mouth as realization hit him. "I think he may have been shot." He said the words like he was remembering a dream.

"That makes sense," Emmett stated.

Jasper looked from Esme to Rosalie to Carlisle apologizing with each glance. "He's not here," he confirmed again. "Do you want me to help you look for him?"

"He's not in the building so we were going to check the other hospitals," Carlisle answered. "Can you leave?"

"Oh yes," Jasper said quickly putting a few things in his pockets. "I can leave right now." He moved in to take Carlisle by the shoulders. "I'll go back into the city and search their medical center." If Edward was indeed mortally wounded then Jasper knew exactly where Jacob had taken him. His mind was already processing several theories as he supplied himself with a few items that would help in case he had to intervene. Jasper grew excited at the prospects. Edward would make the perfect candidate to become a very unique vampire, with his aid. If he arrived there in time. He volunteered to go to the downtown hospital because he knew it was close to the theatre. Jasper was not the only one who realized this.

"Will you stop at the theatre to see if Jacob showed up there?" Rosalie asked him.

"Good idea, I will." Jasper was surprised by Rosalie's quick deduction but looked over at Esme. "Jacob must have taken Edward to another place for a reason. He would have only made the right decision. We just don't know what that was yet." He looked back into Carlisle's eyes. "But we will."

"He's right, Carlisle," Emmett added. "Jacob knows what he's doing. I'll go to the facilities on the West end of the city."

They all returned upstairs and Jasper wasted no time trotting off into the night. Emmett stayed a moment to tell Rosalie nothing in particular and ran towards the thin pink line on the horizon. Rosalie knew when a man was attracted to her and, although she helped liberate him from several hundred francs, it appeared that Dr. McCarty was showing an interest. He was handsome, of course, but she was far too concerned to do anything more than file the information away for later consideration.

Carlisle insisted that the two women go home in case Jacob turned up there. To his surprise and relief, they agreed.

"Maybe we can learn more about what happened there." Rosalie offered, as she walked with her parents toward Jacob's waiting carriage. "Do you want us to take you anywhere, Papa?"

"No, no. I'll take the buggy," he said. "I plan to inquire at the three other care centers. It may take several hours…more if I find him."

"Oh no you don't." Esme stopped the procession to make her point. "If you find him Carlisle Cullen, you are to come right home and tell me where he is."

Carlisle nodded. "May I stabilize him first?" Carlisle asked, somewhat glad to see that Esme was coping with the unknown.

"Just bring him back home." Esme's whisper turned into a sob and the couple embraced. A moment later, Rosalie put her arms around them both, resting her head on theirs.

The family stood there together but incomplete.

Rosalie felt in her bones that Jacob's display of extraordinary speed had something to do with his disappearance. That afforded him some leeway, but now, she would prefer that he use that super speed to run over and tell her what the bloody hell was going on.

When they broke apart, Rosalie ushered her mother to Jacob's carriage but Esme did not want to sit inside again.

"Can I sit up with you?" she asked her daughter.

"Of course you can." Rosalie noticed that Esme would volley back and forth between taking charge like a General and asking permission for things like a child. It was unsettling to see her mother so upset.

"I don't want to be alone back there now that it's dark," Esme admitted. Her body was shaking slightly.

"I wouldn't either," Rosalie confessed with a forced laugh and helped her mother onto the bench. The two women rode in silence while the new and now famous electric street lights of Paris conjured and abandoned their shadows.

Esme was doused in worry. She, like Judith, recognized the man Jacob was dragging and therefore tried to reason out the attack. She watched the horses communicate with each other through snorts and whinnies while she cleared her mind enough to see the obvious motive.

She went from worry to fright when she realized what must have happened.

"Rose," Esme began as they left the wide open spaces of Val-de-Grace and moved into the cramped residential area they lived at the very end of. "Do you think that Jean-Paul saw Edward sitting with his wife instead of Judith at the piano and shot him?"

"Who?" Rosalie did not recognize the name.

"Jean-Paul Sophia," Esme said slowly, considering that she might have spoken the name of her son's murderer. "He was in the house today. Jacob took him with Edward."

"That was Margaret's husband?" Rosalie was stunned and almost dropped the reins. She accepted the fact that Edward was shot when Carlisle had made the statement in the morgue. As Dr. McCarty stated, it made sense. _If it had been done purposefully though? An out right assault?_ Rosalie's thoughts darkened like the cobblestone, _Edward is in more trouble than I realized._

"I should have known something like this would happen," Esme whispered. "How could any man not notice the way his wife acted around Edward." She further observed that despite the fact that most of Edward's lessons were taught on Sundays, few of the mothers wore what she would ever consider, a church dress.

"Edward did nothing wrong," Rosalie said, "and neither did they for that matter. Edward was shot by a small man with the wrong idea."

"It's my fault." Esme was even more convinced the second time she said these words.

"It's my fault."

Rosalie would have stopped the coach suddenly for dramatic effect but they were just yards away from their house. She remained silent until she stopped the horses near the back porch. Rosalie then lowered her head and spoke from a place of knowledge that forced her mother to really hear what she had to say.

"It can't be your fault Mother and it never will be, no matter what you say or how many times you say it."

They entered the kitchen together and neither of them noticed the faint smell that would have driven a vampire mad. It was not until they saw the large shotgun tangled with two dining room chairs that they realized what might be waiting for them in the parlor. Rosalie knew that the house would hold clues, but did not fully consider the gravity of what she might witness until her mother took one look at the gun and ran into the other room.

She must have been too weak to scream.

When Rosalie pushed through the dining room door and into the parlor she entered the room from behind the piano. From that particular angle everything looked fine, but as she made her way around to where Esme was standing she was brushed with freezing nerves and thick despair.

The piano was washed with blood, the once white keys now holding great reservoirs that congealed enough to keep them from sliding between the ivory planks. The sheet music was sagging with the weight of fat splashes that spread out as they dried and the floor was a ruin of red smears and planets.

"He's dead," Esme choked out between cutting gasps. "No one could survive this."

"He's not dead," Rosalie countered, but tears betrayed her confidence. The two women held each other as they were overcome with the loss of their innocent family member.

Esme wanted to clean the parlor immediately; Rosalie saw the therapeutic value of the task and offered to join her. They sponged up as much blood as they could and started heating water in the kitchen and in Esme's washroom. Carlisle had a collection of odd pails and buckets in the small stable at the side of the house and Rosalie grabbed a few, their cold handles making her already sore hands feel good.

When the floor was clean but stained pink, Esme switched to a kitchen brush she used on cooking pans. She stayed focused and that kept her calm, but whenever Rosalie left to get more water or a new rag she fed her loneliness with fresh tears.

When Rosalie returned from Esme's washroom with a pale of steaming water she saw drops of reflecting light on her mother's hands.

"Dad will find him," Rosalie said. She believed this, of course, but had just come from her own breakdown in her mother's room. "Jacob must have taken him to a less crowded hospital."

Esme had been on her knees for the better part of an hour and Rosalie wanted to trade places with her but, not surprisingly, was answered with a wave of her mother's hand. Rose went back to work on the piano which, unlike the floor, was cleaning up easily.

She threw the sheet music away.

There was a light knock on the back door and Rosalie beat her scrambling mother to the kitchen. Both women were wide eyed when it was opened to reveal a tired but determined looking Jacob.

The first few words he spoke were trampled by a torrent of screeched questions and commands. When they all took a breath Jacob held up his hand.

"May I come in?" he asked, stalling.

Rosalie moved out of his way. She was fairly sure he did not see her as he left the house and, although she was desperate to discover what secrets he hid, she was far more concerned with the health of her younger brother.

"Edward is safe," he began, taking a seat at the kitchen table, still stalling. Rosalie and Esme followed suit.

"I took him to a specialist." Jacob had a way of telling a lie that sounded true to him. Rosalie had watched him closely during the game of bluff. She never discovered any tells when he played but something told her she could not expect the whole truth from him. So she probed.

"What kind of specialist?" she asked.

"A blood specialist," he responded.

"Where is Edward?" she countered.

"He is with the specialist," Jacob replied. He did not think he would get away with an answer like that but he did. For the time being.

"Why didn't you just take him to Carlisle like last time?" Rosalie was careful not to be accusatory. She spoke very gently, wanting to comfort Jacob from an obviously difficult ordeal.

"Edward's injury was more like a battle wound this time," Jacob answered. "I took him to a place that specializes in military personnel." It sounded convincing to Jacob and, after a moment, Rosalie and Esme nodded their approval.

"Is he going to be all right?" Esme asked timidly.

"I don't know that," Jacob answered. "Another day will tell."

"When can we see him?" Esme asked.

"Maybe tomorrow," he said, "but I doubt it. He's been isolated and can't have visitors."

"What about my Father?" Rosalie asked. "Couldn't you take him to see Edward?"

"Yes," Jacob thought quickly, "but I have to tell Bella what happened and it doesn't look like Carlisle is home right now."

"He will be back later tonight," Esme confirmed.

"Tell him I will pick him up tomorrow," Jacob told them. He was buying more time and that's all he could have hoped for.

"Why didn't you take your carriage?" Rosalie sound perfectly casual. She did not want Jacob to realize that this was the question she most wanted him to answer.

"I panicked I guess," he laughed grimly. "Just like last time."

Rosalie was not getting anywhere with vague questions so she decided to dig a little deeper. "Do you know what happened to him?" Underneath the table, she lightly placed her foot on top of her mother's. Esme took it as a sign to remain quiet and did so.

"I think he was shot." Jacob felt safe admitting that he was aware of this. After all, he knew that the gun must have been somewhere in the house.

"Do you know who shot him?" she asked.

He decided to pretend that he was focused on Edward and let Jean-Paul remain a mystery to them. "I didn't see who it was."

"Did you see anyone?" Rosalie asked this so innocently that Jacob knew she must be up to something. He also knew that he was stuck. He could not say he didn't see the man, nor could he admit that he took him along. _I really need to start using my carriage in times like these, _he thought. "I did see a man as I was leaving," he admitted slowly.

Now she knew she had him. "So you left an armed man in the house with us while you ran off with Edward?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders, weakly. She had him and he knew it. "Like I said, I panicked." Rosalie was baffled to see that Jacob felt misdirection and even buffoonery were preferable to the truth.

Rosalie knew she was being deceived, but not about Edward so she accepted Jacob's account and even forgave his falsehoods. She would force him to tell her the full truth eventually but not until her brother was safely returned home.

"Go and tell Bella what happened, then. She'll be expecting him at rehearsal soon," she said. "What time should I tell Carlisle you are coming to get him tomorrow?"

"I don't know yet," Jacob replied. "Maybe not until evening."

"We will be waiting," Rosalie said with determination.

"Can you tell me where the Sophia estate is?" Jacob asked as he stood up to leave.

"They live out in the country," Esme answered in a quiet and exhausted voice, "quite a ways up the_ Oise_."

"I have to see to their needs," he explained. "Can you tell me exactly where?"

Rosalie knew the house and, as the road followed a river, it was easy to direct him. She was frustrated with Jacob for many reasons but sensed that this was a delicate situation. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Please tell Bella we're sorry," Esme told him before he left.

When Jacob had closed the door behind him, Esme turned to Rosalie with a puzzled look on her face.

"Why did he say he didn't see Jean-Paul?"

"Because, Mother," Rosalie answered stoically, "I think Jacob may have killed him."

"You don't think he'd do anything to Margaret and Judith do you?" Esme asked.

"Of course not," Rosalie was positive that Jacob was honorable. It was why she let him go so easily. "He will probably give them a fortune and tell them to live it up in Monaco."

The two women went back into the parlor and made some progress on the floor when they started using kerosene on the stain. Jacob's visit did wonders for their collective moods but they were anxious for Carlisle to return.

Rosalie struggled with Jacob's actions but was attracted to him more than ever. He was a well of mystery now that only deepened the further she fell.

* * *

When Carlisle returned home he looked crestfallen. Before he could tell his wife that he failed her, she ran to him, hugged him tightly and told him that Edward was going to be alright.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle was a mix of delight and befuddlement.

"Jacob came by earlier," Rosalie said, "and he did not say that Edward was going to be alright." She looked at her mother reproachfully. "He said it would be another day until he knew anything."

"Where is he?" Carlisle asked.

"Jacob took him to a military hospital," Rosalie answered.

Carlisle gaped at them. "Military hospital?" he repeated.

"Yes, he said it was a battle wound and should be treated…" Rosalie did not have time to finish her explanation.

"Val-de-Grace IS the military hospital." Carlisle almost yelled.

Rosalie hardened like an iron gate and sucked in a river of air. _No,_ she thought weakly, _he wouldn't dare._ "I've never seen military people there," she protested almost to herself.

"That's because we're not at war," he explained, "but I assure you that it is."

Rosalie was livid. It was one thing for Jacob to lie about something trivial like Jean-Paul, but quite another to deny her the truth about her dying brother. Jacob had just moved this from a game of bluff to a game of chess and he had started it with the wrong person.

She started thinking of her next move even before she went upstairs to her bedroom.

Carlisle led his wife upstairs to their bedroom, a large and elegant chamber that dripped with maroon curtains that spilled onto white carpeting. Esme stared at her beautiful room like she was experiencing it for the first time. All she could see was blood on the floor.

Carlisle lit two lanterns and went back to Esme and held her. She thought she had cried when she saw Jacob speed away with her son. She thought she had cried when she realized Carlisle was leading them down the morgue of the hospital. She thought she had cried when she was mopping up Edward's blood from the floor in the parlor but, as her husband embraced her and she felt his warm breath in her ear, she shook with grief.

She cried with such force that she scared herself, and terrified her husband. Carlisle held her, stroking her hair and soaking the shoulder of her dress with his own tears.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, looking up at him with hopeless eyes.

"We are going to trust Jacob," he replied. "It's all we've got." Carlisle felt that Jacob was a good man and may have indeed taken Edward to a better facility but not knowing was a painful splinter to sleep with. He soothed his aching wife and when she asked him to make love to her gently, he did.

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning brought to Rosalie a renewed certainty that Edward had died and that Jacob was hiding that fact in a futile attempt to protect them.

He said that he may not arrive until evening but that was before Rosalie knew he lied about Edward's location. Over the course of the morning, after she had witnessed at least a thousand silent tears carve their way down her mother's face as she sat at the piano and wept, she decided to go to the theatre.

Carlisle had to go back to the hospital again, wishing he could forgo his duties but far too virtuous to seriously consider it. He knew his daughter was going to the theatre and that would mean that Esme would be left alone in the house. That did not please him.

He tried to convince Rosalie to stay but she would not be dissuaded. She assured Carlisle that she would only be gone a short while and that she expected her efforts would reveal the location of Edward. Rosalie was so sure of her plan that he felt no choice but to accept and even encourage it.

He told Esme to be strong and that they would return as soon as possible.

Esme did not respond and Carlisle knew it would be a very long day.

Forty minutes later, Rosalie was pounding on the lobby doors and calling Jacob's name. When he came from the auditorium and walked through the lobby she stared at him through the glass, her mouth involuntarily shifting into a sneer. She wanted to tell him that she knew she had been lied to, she needed him on the defense and then she could get what she wanted. She planned to start by exposing the truth about the hospital and then, if she had to, she would give him an ultimatum.

This was the gamble in her plan. There was no doubt in her mind that Jacob loved her. Therefore, she knew that if her ultimatum was not met that it was because of something even more powerful and important than their love. That was a possibility she could accept but she needed to get ugly to prove it.

"Val-de-Grace IS the military hospital Jacob!" she yelled at him. "Why would you ever think you can lie to me?" He was hurt, this was good. She needed him to weaken.

"I'm sorry Rosalie…" he began, but she did not let him finish.

"I don't want to hear your apologies, Jacob," she barked. "Where did you take my brother? Is he here?" She was only half serious about Edward being in the theatre. _Surely Jacob would not be that foolish with my brother_…but he hesitated.

Rosalie was outraged. "You let me in there to see him right now!"

"Please, you have to trust me," Jacob begged. He was earnest but he was not caving in. She needed him reeling back on his heels if she was going to get anywhere.

"Ha!" She spat back at him. "That's too bad because I'm fresh out of trust for you."

Jacob stepped forward. "Please Rosalie…" He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Get your hands off me!" The street was filled with people and some looked over. Rosalie was inspired. "I will go get the authorities right now Jacob and make you let me in."

Maddeningly, he did not appear alarmed. "It won't work," he said, "but please just give me one more day and I promise that you will see Edward again."

Rosalie was not expecting a promise like this. She had almost convinced herself that he was indeed hiding Edward's death. She almost collapsed with relief.

"You mean he's alright?" she asked. "He's not dead?"

"I think he's going to make it but it's still too early to tell." He looked serious, but she could not trust herself to tell anymore.

"I can handle it if he dies," she assured him, "but Jacob, it will kill my mother. You saw her last night. Why can't you just let me in so I can tell her he's still alive?" She was running out of patience and did not care anymore if he had something more important than love to protect. _It's my love after all, and it's my brother as well. _She felt that she deserved both.

"You can't come in Little Spoon, I'm sorry." Calling her by that name, like they didn't have a care in the world, was too much for her.

"I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE SPOON!" She yelled so loud that her voice cracked. "AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME IN RIGHT NOW I WILL NEVER TALK TO YOU AGAIN!"

She was breathing hard with the effort of the tirade, but Jacob just stood there. He even shook his head slightly.

"I mean it, Jacob," she said menacingly. "If you don't let me see my brother I will leave you and I will hate you for the rest of my life." This was it. He would never willingly allow her to hate him. If he denied her now it meant that he was protecting a secret so big that he would have to give her up to keep it.

Jacob did not move.

Rosalie wanted to understand but could not help but feel insulted, betrayed, hurt. She turned and marched off in the direction of her house. She knew now that there was only one way in.

Carlisle.

When her father came home that evening he was more than disappointed to hear that Jacob still had not voluntarily disclosed the location of his wounded son. He was of a mind to ride over to the theatre and break his way in that very night but Rosalie convinced him to wait.

"Dad," Rosalie said. "I know Jacob. And if you want to see Edward again you have to do what I say. It's the only way to get him to let you into that building."

"What is it?" Carlisle asked. He was willing to obey. Rosalie was intelligent and strong. And she knew Jacob better than he did.

"You need to tell Jacob that you read the letter Edward left in the Parlor two weeks ago," she said.

"What letter?" Carlisle remembered a lot of letters being delivered around that time.

"The last letter Bella sent Edward contained something so private that he and Jacob had a huge argument over Edward leaving it lying in the parlor."

"Do you know what it said?" he asked.

"No, but Jacob took it with him when he left. We were all home that day, any one of us could have seen it."

"What if he asks me what it says?" Carlisle had his doubts that this plan would work.

Rosalie suspected it involved something that would explain Jacob's incredible strength and speed but she could not yet work out how that involved Bella.

"Just remind him that you are a doctor and that you have seen enough things to assume that you would run into something like this one day."

"Why do you think that should matter?" Carlisle did not make the connection, but memorized Rosalie's every word.

"Trust me, Papa," Rosalie begged. "There is some kind of medical mystery at work here and that is all you need to let him know. And, for the love of God, stay vague." She could see that Carlisle was not completely convinced. "If you refer to some kind of condition that seems unlikely for someone to have, he will have to consider the possibility that you read the letter."

"Without all the facts, it won't work," Carlisle said finally. "He won't believe me."

"Then tell him that maybe Bella should be making that decision." Rosalie countered.

Carlisle nodded. It seemed that Rosalie had thought of everything and, after all, there was nothing to lose.

The next day he went to the theatre with grim determination painted on his face, he was going to get into that building one way or another.

**

* * *

****NOTES:**

**Thank you to Amy Morgan who, once again, helped me with valuable and interesting information about Jacob's horses. She has been a friend to me since the beginning of this story and I use her FanFic profile page whenever I need an English lesson. It's very helpful.**

**Admittedly, a hat trick of lemons between Jacob and Rosalie isn't for everybody, and wouldn't even fit my own story, but for Alex's Lemonade Stand and the Fandom Gives Back project I am going nuts with these two and it shouldn't be missed. I assure you that it WILL NOT appear anywhere else so please contact my dear friend April, who picked me up from the airport, to join Team Bella Voce. She will make sure that your FGB/ALS donation will get you the exclusive outtakes from my story.**

**She can be reached via email - aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also tweet her (at)aRedi.**

**If you are interested in Bella Voce merchandise AND want to help support the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit the myt_spot(dot)com website. To make things easier, I have placed the link on my author's page. ALL proceeds for the sale of these items will go to the fundraiser.**

**Thank You to everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending. I appreciate it all.**

**MOG**


	17. Chapter 17: House Call

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

**Morgan Locklear owns a lot of Legos.**

**A LOT, of Legos.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen:**

**House Call**

Carlisle arrived at the Theatre de la Nuit mid-morning and stopped his buggy next to the stable that housed Jacob's two silk black horses and his massive covered carriage. Carlisle took the liberty of hitching them to one other and then to the carriage while he waited for Jacob to emerge. Every movement seemed to require all of his concentration and commitment.

It took an enormous effort not to abandon Rosalie's plan and storm inside the building.

He regretted not bringing apples for his own horses as he reached into his jacket pocket and produced shiny red globes with green leaves still attached to their stems. They looked like ripped sails on a sinking ship. He placed them one at a time on his palm and offered them to Bree and Rebecca, who accepted immediately. The horses knew his own scent and the smell of the apples were as alluring as blood to a new vampire.

Carlisle waited for Jacob and went over the plan once more. He was going to give the bluff his best shot and play the part with everything he had inside of him but, if it did not work, he would force Jacob to take him inside. Even though he could feel the weight of his revolver resting inside his jacket pocket, he unconsciously patted his hand against the garment just to be sure.

Rosalie did not know about his backup plan but Jacob smelled the oiled gun metal as soon as he walked into the stable. Carlisle saw him and climbed up to the bench.

"Let's take a ride," he said with a relaxed smile. He honestly believed that Jacob was trustworthy and just hoped that the feeling was mutual. If Carlisle could convince Jacob that he knew just enough information, he might share the rest of the truth, including Edward's fate.

Jacob returned the smile. "Good Morning Carlisle, I think that would be a fine idea."

The fact that Carlisle had armed himself was alarming but he wanted to speak away from the theatre and Jacob felt that made that his promise to conceal Edward from his family that much easier to keep.

He climbed up and sat next to Carlisle. As he was putting on his gloves he considered the possibility that Carlisle was luring him away so that the theatre would be left unguarded but dismissed the idea. Rosalie and Esme could not gain access even if they had a gun. The glass was leaded in the lobby doors. It would be easier to break through the brick wall.

"Where to?" Jacob asked.

"Your choice," Carlisle responded.

A flick of Jacob's wrist and a soft brush of leather on hide and they were out under the bright sun. Jacob turned East, causing both men to squint into the still crisp morning.

"Carlisle, I need to tell you something." Jacob hoped that he could give Carlisle enough good news to earn time to discuss this with Bella and the now conscious Edward. "I spoke with Edward yesterday and he will be fine." He waited for the sound of a relieved father's gratitude but only heard the clop of his horses' feet and the errant squeak of wood on wood.

Carlisle acted like he did not hear him at all. No sigh at the news of Edward's recovery, no questions about his conditions. He merely stared straight ahead and spoke slowly. "We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves."

Jacob recognized the _La __Rochefoucauld_ quote, was fond of it in fact. Carlisle's reference also brought up the memory of Jacob and Leah meeting the writer, introduced simply as Francois at his father's funeral in 1650. During the service, he had attempted to convince the attending nobility of the province to attack the royalist garrison of Saumur. It was quite the scandal at the time.

The quote, although poignant, was not productive. Jacob did not respond.

Carlisle tried again. "I read the letter Jacob."

At first Jacob was confused; not understanding what Carlisle meant but then a shockwave of ice overtook him. It made him feel like he was stretching upward grotesquely very slowly. He felt that he would float out over the horses. His ears slowly filled with the whomp whomp whomp of his heartbeat until that was all he could hear. He even had trouble breathing. It was the letter Edward had left in the parlor. The one in which Bella had confessed she was a vampire.

Carlisle thought to himself, _Good lord, what was in that letter?_ even as he continued, "I need to know if it has anything to do with Edward. Does it?"

"What letter do you mean?" Jacob asked coolly, not knowing that his cover was already blown.

"The letter Edward left in the parlor almost two weeks ago today." Carlisle did not elaborate. He knew short and sweet was his bread and butter.

"You weren't even in the house that day," Jacob said confidently.

"Oh yes I was." Carlisle replied quickly.

Jacob paused, he had no choice but to concede that there was a letter worth reading, "Why don't you tell me what it said," he told Carlisle.

"Well," Carlisle acted uncomfortable, which was not much of a stretch, "let's just say that it discussed a certain condition that someone might want to keep private."

Jacob was shocked and he might have questioned the validity of Carlisle's claim more, a lot more, if not for one thing - Carlisle was carrying a gun. Humans carried weapons when they were scared and Jacob understood that the letter said some terrifying things. He was surprised to feel what could only be relief at the prospect of Carlisle already knowing so much.

Still, Jacob was not going to admit anything until he was positive that he could. "Say the word, Carlisle."

"What word?" Carlisle flinched inwardly. He was stuck. This was the worst thing Jacob could have demanded.

"If you read that letter then you will know what word I mean."

Carlisle was devastated. Jacob wanted just one word, one bloody word to prove that he was not lying and he had a million words to choose from. He replayed his conversation with Rosalie hoping that anything would spring to mind.

Jacob waited over a minute for Carlisle to answer and when he did, it was little more than a whisper. But to Carlisle's credit, it was not a question.

"Bella."

Jacob considered this answer for some time then turned in his seat to face Carlisle. "Good enough," he said and turned the carriage back towards the theatre.

"So you believe it then?" Jacob asked as the sun, now at their backs, painted their heads on each of the horses' rumps.

Carlisle had been expecting a question like this and chose to use the statement Rosalie fed him the night before. "I've been a doctor for a long time now Jacob," he began, "and I have seen some unbelievable things, but do you know what?"

"What?" Jacob was intrigued.

"I believed them," he stated simply. "I believed them because there will always be things to discover about our world and its inhabitants." Carlisle stopped before he went too far and blew what he knew was his admission into the theatre.

"That's open minded of you Carlisle," Jacob said. "I hope that it stays that way."

The cryptic statement glued Carlisle's mouth shut for the rest of the trip back to Place-de-Pigalle.

* * *

When they walked through the lobby together. Jacob was nervous. He knew that Bella would be angry at first but, since she was the one who had insisted on writing that incriminating letter in the first place, it served her right.

And he was planning on telling her so if it came to that.

The wedge of sunlight that parted the lobby was closer to the front doors but the entire room was bright and warm. Jacob strode across it in a steady gait that had Carlisle shuffling to keep up with him.

When Jacob opened the door to the auditorium he was startled by a blood soaked vampire running full speed up the aisle. He had just enough time to brace himself against the newborn before Edward collided with him. Jacob's strength held and this kept Carlisle from being trampled and Edward from entering the sun bathed room behind them.

Bella was flying above the auditorium seats and instantly pulled back to avoid hitting either of them. She arched high above the men where she was able to see behind Jacob's back. Carlisle stared up at her in bewilderment as the door swung closed behind him, cutting off the natural light as Edward rebounded enough to take several steps back.

Edward heard his father's thoughts before he saw him in the room.

_She can fly. That's what this is about?_

"Father?" Edward said the word before he knew it was out. Carlisle appeared from behind Jacob with a look on his face that went from confusion to shock. Edward had forgotten that his mouth was covered in his murderer's blood, had forgotten for a moment that he was anything but a scared little boy whose father had come to save him.

Edward collapsed in the aisle, unable to bear the weight of his body and the world combined. It was a fortunate reaction as Jacob would have assumed that Edward was attacking Carlisle if he had made any forward move toward them.

"What is he doing here?" Bella asked Jacob in a voice that suggested they were all going to see a very unpleasant side of her. She landed behind Edward and knelt behind him.

"It's alright, Bella," Jacob answered, unruffled by her clipped tone. "Carlisle read your letter. He knows you're a vampire."

"A WHAT?" The look on Carlisle's face now transformed from shock to down right lunacy.

Edward heard Jacob think a torrent of obscenities as he turned to face Carlisle. The two men looked at each other and Edward and Bella both heard Carlisle's gentle whisper. "I'm sorry."

He said it again louder, this time looking at Bella. "I'm sorry," he walked around the stunned Jacob and down the aisle toward them. "I deceived Jacob to get in here but I needed to see my son." He knelt in front of Edward. "Are you alright?"

He reached out and took Edward's face in his hands, ignoring the blood but not the coolness of his son's skin.

"I don't think I am Papa," Edward said, his eyes green oceans of bewilderment that leaked steady tears. He could not look away from Carlisle.

Carlisle looked at Bella. "Is it true?" he asked. "Are you a….vampire?"

"Yes." Bella answered tersely, looking only at Jacob.

He nodded his head. "And Edward?"

Jacob walked down to the group, feeling the need to explain the situation. "You have to understand that he was shot in the back and…"

"Yes," Bella answered again, cutting Jacob off in a clipped tone.

Carlisle stood his son up and hugged him fiercely. "I love you, Edward."

Edward was crying too hard to answer.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Jacob said. "He fooled me."

"That's because you're a fool!" Bella spat at him and instantly regretted it when Jacob simply nodded, accepting the blame.

"It's not his fault," Carlisle said defending him the only way he could think of. "It was Rosalie's idea to use the letter."

Upon hearing this revelation, Jacob turned and silently walked out of the room, defeated. He felt in that moment as though he had lost both the women that he loved.

Bella and Edward took Carlisle down to her apartment where they explained what happened and how Bella had been forced to turn him in order to save him from the grave. Even as they spoke, they could hear Jacob using the dumbwaiter in the washroom to dispose of Jean-Paul's body.

Edward heard Bella thinking about Jacob realizing that even when she hurt him, he still did things for her. It made Edward sad to think that he was partly responsible for the discord between them.

When their explanation was complete, Carlisle responded without hesitation.

"We will have to tell all this to your mother and your sister, of course."

"No!" Bella and Edward answered together.

"That's impossible Carlisle," Bella said as gently as she could. She could hear the wavering in her own voice and cursed herself for the uncertainty.

Carlisle looked first at Bella before resting his gaze on his son. A look of sad resignation dominated his features.

"Then I'll have to tell them you're dead."

"What?" Edward shouted.

"It's the only thing they'll believe," he concluded matter-of-factly.

Edward looked to Bella who remained silent.

"I don't think we have to…" Edward began.

Carlisle's vocal eruption was both unexpected and uncharacteristic.

"YOUR BLOOD WAS EVERYWHERE, EDWARD! NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE THAT YOU SURVIVED UNLESS IT WAS LIKE THIS!"

He turned to Bella.

"AND YOU KEPT HIM DOWN HERE FOR TWO NIGHTS AND TOLD US NOTHING! THEY WILL EITHER BE TOLD THE TRUTH OR TOLD THAT EDWARD….IS….DEAD!"

Silence ate the room.

_He's right. _Bella's thought brushed into Edward's head like a kiss.

"You're right," Edward said, "but we can't tell them I'm dead."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Carlisle acknowledged.

"I was hoping you wouldn't," Bella admitted.

_Jasper is not going to like this, _she thought and Edward arched his eyebrow.

"Do you think they'll believe it?" Edward asked.

"I don't believe it," Carlisle confessed. "Yet here you two are…"

Carlisle's voice drifted away as a new thought occurred to him. "Is Jacob a vampire?"

"No," Edward answered. "And Father? I'm still not sure if I can continue this way."

"Please, don't say that." Bella took Edward by the hand and sat him on the bed. Carlisle sat in one of the upholstered wingbacks on the long wall opposite of her bookshelf.

"What do you mean, son?" Carlisle asked.

Edward looked down at his lap. "I crave human blood." He tried to look into his father's eyes as he said this but quickly dropped his gaze again. "If I hadn't just been drinking some before you came in I would have attacked you."

Carlisle looked over at Bella for guidance.

"It's true," she said. "It's dangerous for you to be around Edward right now. And he is going to have to live here from now on."

_I hope that's okay with you? _Bella's eyes were waiting for the answer.

Edward looked both happy and sad. Bella understood.

"Can he see his mother tonight?" Carlisle asked.

"Good Lord no," Bella said.

"I'm not ready to go outside yet," Edward admitted quietly.

"He is a very powerful vampire Carlisle," Bella explained to him. "We haven't told you everything he's dealing with yet."

"Like what?" Carlisle looked to his son for the answers.

"For one thing," Edward replied, "I can hear everyone's thoughts."

_Mental telepathy? _Carlisle thought.

"Mental what?" Edward asked.

Carlisle tilted his head slightly at his son's reaction to the single thought.

"It's a term coined by an English scholar named _Fredric W. H. Myers_ back in '82," Carlisle told them. "He theorized that someone could tune into the brainwaves of others and hear what they were thinking."

"That's exactly it," Bella stated. "Edward catches everything."

_I love you my sweet._

_I love you too, _Edward thought and smiled as he realized she could not hear him back.

"That's not all," he said. "I can see new colors, I have exceptional speed and strength and I think I may even have developed a higher capacity for learning."

_Really? _Bella thought.

"You obviously have exceptional healing capabilities as well Edward," Carlisle observed, ever the medical enthusiast.

"That's right, we do." Edward confirmed. "I'm…I'm immortal Papa."

"You'll live forever?" Carlisle was not a believer in the mythical fountain of youth but he could not help but be fascinated and jealous at the same time.

"He won't age," Bella corrected, "but he can be killed. Everything can."

"You two must come over tonight and see Esme and Rosalie." Carlisle insisted.

"I told you," Edward said, sounding agitated. "I can't go outside yet."

"Nonsense," Carlisle waved the statement away with his hand. "You can go in Jacob's carriage. You won't see a soul."

"You don't understand," Bella said gravely. "You all could be victims."

"I would never attack my family," Edward said out of obligation but even he did not believe his own words.

"You said yourself a moment ago that you could have attacked Carlisle," Bella reminded him.

_I'm sorry darling, but it's true._

There was a small space of silence while Edward considered what to say next. It was not long, only a few seconds. Bella and Carlisle hardly noticed but, to Edward, it was a moment of clarity. He realized his destiny and knew he must either live up to it or run away. It was a moment where he memorized every detail to remember for the rest of his life.

_Jasper said that with vampires it's all about the brain, _Edward thought. _If I can teach my brain to ignore certain things then I can overcome my vampire urges._

"Bella," he asked, tentatively. "Can you….feel the compartments in your brain?"

She did not answer right away. Partly because she did not understand the question but mostly because she was busy thinking that Edward had the same look on his face as he did when he saw her naked.

Pure wonder.

Edward's eyes flashed a brilliant smile as he heard her thoughts. She was momentarily embarrassed but he nodded his head politely, encouraging a response.

"No," she said finally. "I don't even understand what you asked so I think that means that I don't."

"Describe it to us son." Carlisle walked over and joined them on the bed. He sat next to Edward and saw for the first time how different his son's skin looked, so smooth that he could not even see pores.

"It's not an exact science," Edward said. "I can tell you that now because I keep coming up with new compartments and changing the mental map I have." He was excited. "I think I have figured out a way to isolate and lock up different feelings and emotions, pain…hunger… hatred…" He started talking to himself. "…Maybe I should just create boxes instead of constantly remapping every time I…"

"Can you isolate and block your ability to hear everyone's thoughts?" Bella asked.

"Oh my God!" Edward stood up. "Oh my God! Hold on…" He stood still for a moment and then spun around with quick grateful tears in his eyes. "Think something," he said to them both. "Anything."

_Please let this work, you deserve it so much._

_I could write a paper on this._

Edward did not hear these thoughts. The silence was a gift that made him weak with joy. "It worked," he said nodding his head and wiping his tears away. "I can crate things up, that's how I'm imagining it." He knelt down in front of Bella. "And it will work with vampire urges too." She did not answer and he immediately missed not knowing what she was thinking. He quickly opened the crate that held his telepathy at bay and her worry flooded into his head like rain through an open window.

…_happening too fast, I don't know what to do here._

Edward took her by the hand and stood up. Carlisle, sensing something big stood as well.

"This changes everything Bella," Edward explained. "I have a feeling that I am only beginning to discover what I am capable of, but I know I can go see my mother and sister tonight to tell them I'm alright."

Bella believed him. This was an Edward she had never seen before. He was more deliberate, like he had thoroughly considered every possible outcome before he made a single move or said a single word. He radiated power and confidence and Bella wanted him more than ever.

Edward smiled and looked over at his father.

"I need you to go home and tell them that we'll arrive at nine o'clock. Tell them both I love them and do not reveal anything else. Rosalie will ask and we both know she won't quit until she gets her way but tell her that she must wait and that she must try to let Jacob back into her heart because he's coming with us."

"Yes, son," Carlisle saw it too. Edward was profoundly enlightened and it showed. The certainty he had with his words made it impossible not to trust that he knew exactly what he was doing.

They walked Carlisle to the door and then went upstairs hand in hand to see Jacob.

* * *

Edward had been hearing Bella's sorrowful thoughts concerning what she had said to Jacob and she was more determined that ever to make things right with him. Once she did, she was hoping she could play a part in gaining Rosalie's understanding and forgiveness as well. It was the least she could do for her long suffering friend.

She knocked on the door and climbed the narrow staircase to his room. "Jacob?" Bella called. "Are you up here?"

"I'm here," came the reply.

They walked upstairs and to Bella's horror she discovered that Jacob was packing.

"Don't say anything Bella," Jacob warned. "You don't need me anymore and I'm alright with that. Just let me gather my things and go."

Edward was on the stair below her, his eyes just peeking over the top of her dark waves of hair. He was touching her when Jacob said this and the devastating wave of remorse and pain he felt pulse though her was enough to rock him back like he had been slapped.

"I know I ruined everything," Jacob continued, "but I promise I was only trying to do what I thought was right."

"You did Jacob," Bells sobbed, unable to help herself, "please don't go. I'm so sorry for what I said."

Jacob was touched by her words, but was too determined to stop. His pride was hurt, his heart was broken, and he was running away….again.

Edward lightly touched Bella, prodding her forward so he could fully enter the room. When he did he walked smartly over to Jacob and stood until he was acknowledged. It did not take long. There was a way in which he walked that reminded Jacob of the royalty he had once served after Leah's death.

Edward was in charge.

When Jacob looked down at him, Edward had been waiting for their eyes to meet. He leaned in and spoke with a conviction that Jacob didn't realize was possible, even from a vampire Edward.

"You are a part of this family," he said, "a very important part and, if it's possible, I need you more than Bella does right now." Edward walked over to the tiny suit of armor sitting in the fig tree and picked it up. "This is for my sister isn't it?"

"Yes."

Edward walked back to him and placed the intricate sculpture in his upturned hand. "We are all going over to my family's house for dinner tonight. We are expected at nine."

He did not wait for an answer. Edward just took Bella by the hand and led her downstairs. As they made their way back to the apartment she peppered him with mental questions. He stopped her on the large carpeted stairwell that lead to the first row of balconies. "He'll stay with you Bella. He was just overwhelmed but he's alright now. He wants to make up with Rosalie."

"That's what I want," she said.

'I know it is," he replied, placing his hand on her cheek. His eyes stared deeply into hers and his voice dropped seductively. "But it's not the only thing you want."

Bella was stunned as he led her into their bedroom. She had been the one to instigate all of their encounters and this was yet another sign that Edward was claiming the world around him. He quickly stripped her of her clothing and guided her carefully but with determination to the bed. Once she was lying down, Edward turned and went into the washroom, feeling the need to clean up his face.

Bella was naked and waiting. The anticipation sent shivers down her back and all the way to the soles of her feet. She lounged on Alice's borrowed sheets and the foreign fibers cradled her curves as she imagined the differences in her new lover. His body would no longer feel hot but she was certain that he was fired up in a new way.

When Edward emerged, clean and dripping water from his face and hair, he shed his clothes with two swipes of his hands and was on top of her in an instant. His nose brushed against hers for one tender moment and he smiled into her eyes. "You don't have to be so careful with me anymore." Bella saw the hunger in his eyes and it made her ache with desire.

That was the last spoken communication between the two as Edward aggressively anticipated Bella's every sexual desire, obeying her silent commands. He took control of her slender frame and filled her with breathtaking depth as his hands, a constant blur on her tingling skin, warmed her with the friction they generated.

Every time she arched her back she earned a love bite on her neck. Edward had heightened senses and sampled each one as he rediscovered his breathless lover.

He heard her consider being on top so she could look down at him while she gave him pleasure. She liked that he was taking charge, but that only made her more aggressive herself.

He flipped over on his back and picked Bella up like she was a pillow. He set her down on his waiting monolith and thrust his hips upward as she straddled him. She leaned back on her locked arms with her hands on his strong thighs and tried not to scream. She had never felt such desire for him and Edward found that by placing his hands on her hips and pulling her forcefully down to his body he would create an explosion of pleasure for Bella so intense that her thoughts transcended words and became…music.

It was at these musical moments when Edward could have sworn that he saw faint blue light radiating off of his lover. She usually responded by leaning forward so her small but hard nipples brushed his lips only to be captured by his willing mouth.

Human sex was sublime, but vampire sex was celestial and Edward felt it possess him like a drug. He wanted to be in charge again, holding her down on the bed while he poured over her like honey.

He slowed their rapid movements and rolled her onto her back again. Bella tried grabbing his firm behind and kneading the hard muscle there with her thin fingers. She pulled him with as much, if not more, force than he pushed down with but the resulting rush of passion nearly caused her to lose awareness altogether. Feeling consumed by her love and desire for Edward, she took joy in simply relaxing under his fevered touch, allowing him to be strong enough for them both.

Without fear of hurting her love in the height of desire, Bella allowed one climax to lead into another. She begged him to join her but Edward restrained himself, focused intently on fully satisfying the beauty in his arms. She was delirious as he quickly pulled her legs up and placed her calves against his chest. He watched her with fascination as he eased himself into her, slowly at first, excruciatingly slowly. His lack of restraint had a powerful effect on his desire and, in his excitement, his movements picked up speed and strength.

Edward's green eyes blazed with a frenzied passion that thrilled Bella as he brought her legs down and pulled his face close to hers. He kissed her and plunged his tongue into her cool lips tasting her need in return.

Their tongues flirted and danced while below their bodies writhed and pressed against each other. Edward's kiss was strong but not rough. Aggressive but not painful.

They were still engaged in the deep and searing kiss when his climax forced him to cry out her name into her mouth. She breathed in his pleasure and wrapped it around her whole being, pulling him fully down onto her body. His hold on her only tightened in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

Bella felt his muscles relax as she ran her fingers through his wild, copper colored hair. It was just long enough without being too long. His transformation now guaranteed it would always remain in an untamed state. She smiled at the thought. So did he. It allowed her more locks to play with for eternity and she celebrated this realization as he further melted to her touch.

* * *

Bella spent the afternoon reading while Edward returned upstairs to see Jacob. He had many questions about modern and natural science that he wanted his brother's opinion on. Several hours later when Edward reappeared on the spiral staircase, Bella smiled and shook her head at the prospect of having two mad scientists in the house.

"Jacob thinks that my telepathy could lead to object manipulation or the ability to plant suggestions in people's minds like hypnosis."

"Hypnosis huh?" Bella smirked.

_Did I ever tell him?_

"No," Edward answered for her. "You didn't. Jacob just did."

"He really can't keep a secret," Bella said with a laugh.

"Don't you know what this means?"

Bella was afraid she did. "That I could learn to read minds just like you?"

"Exactly!" Edward exclaimed. "Imagine how great that would be."

"I don't think I could ever live with that.'

"You already know how to turn it off Bella," he reasoned. "I am just going to teach you how to turn it on."

He was so adorable. Why shouldn't she play along? "Alright," she began, "when do you want to start?"

"It would be best if we could be in a place where we _couldn't_ speak to each other. Somewhere we would be forced to communicate with only our thoughts."

Bella's answering smile was wide enough to land the moon on. "I have the perfect place, but it will have to be next week."

"Really?" Edward was instantly curious.

"Yes," she paused, "and don't go riffling through my thoughts trying to figure it out either."

"Me? Go riffling through your thoughts?" Edward's pretend outrage was melodramatic and topped with grand gestures. "Let me tell you something, those thoughts of yours come hurling into my brain uninvited."

_Then shut up and kiss me._

* * *

Esme prepared Edward's favorite dinner, beef stew with big potatoes and lots of bread to dib in the broth. She questioned her own logic as she did not understand how her son could possibly be well enough to enjoy the meal, but her exhausted mind and body needed to remain occupied. Esme moved through the kitchen with as much precision and focus as she could muster.

Edward could smell the food as he stepped out the door of the carriage into the Parisian evening, although in truth, the whole neighborhood could smell it. When he walked into the kitchen Esme gasped. Until this moment, she had not allowed herself to believe that he had really survived. When she rushed to him he swept her up and held her like she was the child.

"I'm alright, Mama," he whispered as he breathed in her scent. A million childhood memories crowded into his mind and he kissed her head. "I'm alright now."

Rosalie was in the dining room and her question preceded her into the kitchen. "If you're alright, why didn't you come home earlier?" She was attempting to sound angry and hurt but all he could hear was her worry and grief.

Edward smiled sweetly at his older sister. "Because I was asleep," he answered and after some thought, elaborated. "And then I think I went quite mad."

"Oh." Rosalie was not prepared for that answer, nor was she expecting to see Edward so sure of himself, so different from the boy she grew up with. She tried her best not to look at Jacob who was last through the doorway. Her resolve was outdone by her natural attraction to him and she looked up once to see that he was staring straight at her with big wounded eyes.

She turned and walked into the dining room. "Dinner's ready," she called over her shoulder.

Edward gracefully sat at the foot of the table, Carlisle the head. Bella sat to Edward's left and Esme sat to Carlisle's right, putting them next to each other on one side, while Rosalie and Jacob were left only with the two chairs nearest the window.

Edward did not wait for anyone to dish themselves up from the giant pot already on the table. He did not even wait for anyone to say grace.

"Mother, Rosalie," Edward began. "I am going to tell you something that, at best, you will find unbelievable and, at worst, disturbing. Horrifying even." He looked deeply at each of them to be certain that they had absorbed his prophecy. "It is very important that you do believe me, and if possible, do not hate…or fear me."

"Edward, how could you say such a thing?" Esme interjected.

"I'm not just saying it, Mother," he replied. "I am going to need each of you to promise me that you will not leave this room until I have told you everything you need to hear."

"I promise." Rosalie committed without hesitation.

_He won't tell us about Jacob._

"I won't ever walk out on you, dear." Esme said slightly confused.

Edward looked at Bella.

_I told you in the carriage my love. It's alright to start with me._

"Bella is a vampire," he said simply. Edward did not wait for a reaction. "She is almost four hundred years old and she drinks human blood to survive." He looked around to see if they were still listening. They were. Esme was looking at Carlisle, a question forming on her lips while Rosalie had her arms crossed, something tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"When Jean-Paul Sophia shot me," Edward continued with his eyes closed, "Jacob took me to Bella who turned me into a vampire as well so I wouldn't completely die."

_What do you mean completely die? _Rosalie thought.

"I can also hear thoughts now," Edward said. "Rosalie, to answer your question, a vampire is technically dead. Our hearts don't beat, and our skin is cold to the touch." He held his hand over the table toward his sister. Rosalie grabbed it and nodded her head in confirmation of his cool temperature.

_Jacob's warm and I've felt his heartbeat more than once. _

Edward glided his hand over to his mother for inspection. Esme was tentative, as if his hand was a snake and, when she placed a single finger on his skin, she gasped and looked at him with a mother's pity.

"That's not all," he paused and looked down to the floor, Edward closed his eyes, and after taking in a large nervous breath, he continued. "I killed Jean-Paul Sophia and I drank his blood. I will no doubt be forced to kill many humans in my new life but I am working on a solution to that with Jacob."

_But he's not a vampire. _Rosalie's thought sat on Edward's like frosting.

"I will be living with Bella at the theatre from now on and I will need you to send Clementine there for her lesson tomorrow.

Rosalie spoke as she ladled mostly broth into her bowl. "No offense Edward but…" _how shall I put this…"_I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with…"_please don't kill Clem…_sending her…"

Edward leaned his head back and roared with laughter. He pounded the table with his fist as a second wave took him and that got Carlisle going. It never took much with him. "I don't want to kill her Rose," Edward said. "I can't go out in the sun anymore so I have to teach on the pit's piano."

Esme laughed nervously. "That's a relief, I have to admit that I didn't understand either and jumped to the wrong conclusion."

Edward's heart sank but his face stayed passive. "I am not some kind of animal and neither is Bella. Her cravings are ten times worse than mine, by the way, and you are all still here."

"Do I need to go get her?" Jacob asked Esme, moving the conversation forward.

"I don't think so," Esme answered, convinced, "but she lives on the island so she's closer to you now anyway."

"Maybe I'll go by there a bit early and pick her up," he said to Edward, who nodded his thanks.

"Do either of you need me to stop or clarify anything?" Edward asked.

_You mean like how the hell Jacob fits into all this? _Rosalie shook her head.

"Can you eat this food?" Esme asked.

Edward laughed and began filling his plate. "Of course I can," he leaned towards Bella and talked out of the corner of his mouth loudly. "I can. Can't I?"

"Yes," she replied. "You can eat all the food you want but you will never crave it again."

_Really? _

Edward could hear the anger in his sister's thoughts and hoped that there would not be a return of the hurt and angry sister who had dominated the Cullen house for several years. Rosalie was going to be difficult to predict, her thoughts rarely strayed from Jacob's involvement. When they did, she seemed to romanticize the life of a vampire. Edward heard Bella think about how much Rosalie reminded her of Alice a few times during the course of the meal.

It made him uneasy.

Edward ate sparingly and mostly in silence while Bella told the Cullens her story. He listened to their unspoken declarations and unasked questions while she explained how she lived through the plague, was a pirate in Spain, and came to Paris over a hundred years before.

"Do you still consider yourself a nun?" Carlisle asked.

"No," Bella replied in complete honesty. "I gave up that life before I even reached France." She chose her next words carefully. "The church…has changed."

Rosalie cleared her throat and drummed her fingers loudly on the table. "Where does Jacob fit into all this?"

Her patience had run out and her temper was flaring.

Jacob had been sitting silently, waiting for Rosalie to acknowledge him. Using his name in a general question was as good as he figured it would get so he turned to her. "Rose, I hope you can forgive me for lying to you. I still didn't know what would happen to Edward and the secret was not mine to share."

Rosalie still refused to look at him.

"But _you_ have a secret," she countered, looking straight ahead. "Don't you?"

Jacob looked down.

_Not like this, _Edward heard him think. _Not in front of everyone._

"Oh for God's sake, Jacob!" Rosalie's voice rose with her emotions. "We saw you run from the house as fast as a horse AND carrying two men!" Now she turned to look directly at him, fury flashing in her eyes. "If you aren't a vampire, then what are you?"

_It's now or never._

Edward heard Jacob's thought drift in amongst the three human engines humming away in the room.

Jacob stood up, removed his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. _I should have just told her in Versailles, now her mum will see me naked._

Edward stifled a laugh, barely.

Jacob took the hand axe from the small of his back and set it down his empty seat. Only Rosalie saw him quickly kick off his boots as well.

He walked behind Edward's chair, where there was a little more room and took three big steps backward.

"Nobody move," he said sternly as he took off his shirt and threw it to the floor.

* * *

**NOTES:**

**Thank You to everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending. I appreciate it all.**

**June is here which means we are getting closer to the Fandom Gives Back fundraister for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. I will be contributing an outtake toward the cause and a Team Bella Voce has been formed. If you are interested in joining the team, p****lease contact my dear friend April. She will make sure that your FGB/ALS donation will get you the exclusive outtake from my story.**

**She can be reached via email - aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also tweet her (at)aRedi.**

**If you are interested in Bella Voce merchandise AND want to help support the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit the myt_spot(dot)com website. To make things easier, I have placed the link on my author's page. ALL proceeds from the sale of these items will go to the fundraiser. From what I'm hearing the Big Spoon/Little Spoon merchandise is fairly popular.**

**This charity supports children who have been diagnosed with cancer. No matter how you opt to support FGB, it is a worthwhile endeavor.**

**I'm excited to be participating in this event. Thank you to all who are working countless hours to organize it and to those donating your hard earned money to make it a success.**

**MOG**


	18. Chapter 18: House Arrest

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear owns his IMAX tickets to see Eclipse.**

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* * *

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Edward did not know what to expect and he was the only one who had to turn in his chair so he could see what Jacob was doing. His shirt was in a heap on the floor and his last command ordering everyone to remain still was echoing in the high ceilinged room.

_Oh no, this could end badly. _

Bella's urgent thought came to Edward before anything else could happen.

_Jacob forgets how frightening this can be._

Edward prepared himself for the worst and had just enough time to wish that Bella had elaborated when Jacob's body expanded outward with a loud series of cracking noises and an eruption of muscle, fangs and fur. Edward was on his feet in an instant.

Jacob turned into a gigantic wolf before their eyes. It was the single most disturbing thing Edward had ever seen in his entire life, and he was including the time a few weeks before when he saw Bella in Notre Dame viciously slapping two vampires together until their heads flew off.

Edward heard Bella think, _It's alright, he's actually nicer this way…quieter too,_ as Jacob lowered his furry snout to his shirt, grabbed it gently in his sharp teeth, and padded over to the parlor doorway. He sat down quickly, almost comically.

Everyone reacted differently. Bella was calm but concerned about the humans or Edward, for that matter, reacting badly. Edward sat back down after Jacob took his place in the doorway. The horrified look on Esme's face had not yet turned into a scream, however, Carlisle was leaning forward and holding onto her arm. Bella could easily see that he looked more fascinated than frightened.

Then there was Rosalie.

She was gone.

Jacob was the only one who saw her leave.

Carlisle did not notice when she silently stood up next to him and walked into the kitchen. Bella, now realizing she was no longer there, followed Jacob's gaze to the windows. He was watching Rosalie walk through the garden, his ears sagging as she disappeared from sight.

Jacob had prepared himself for this reaction but had also dared to daydream. He imagined that she would approach him, hand stretched out and stroking his fur, then smiling as she recognized the same set of eyes she knew so well. He did not know if she was disgusted, frightened or angry but he knew exactly what he was. Hurt.

Jacob transformed back into human form, his shirt dropping into his lap but otherwise leaving him naked and seated on the floor.

His pants and socks, the only casualties of the transformation, were ribbons behind Edward's chair. Jacob stood up with a practiced modesty and walked into the parlor and Edward heard him think about the trousers he kept in a trunk inside the carriage for just such an occasion. Edward excused himself to get them, speaking loudly enough for Jacob to hear his intentions.

Carlisle tugged slightly on Esme's arm, cueing her to catch his eye. She had a peculiar look on her face that communicated, _I'm too scared to run but too interested to turn away, _as Bella addressed her.

"Are you alright with all of this?"

"I guess so…" she said, her tone neutral, almost dazed. 'I mean you're all the same people I knew before…"

"We are," Bella confirmed in a confident tone. "As is Jacob," she added.

"If you are a vampire, does that make him a werewolf?" Carlisle asked.

"That's not what he is," Bella answered. "He's not affected by the moon and if he bites someone it just hurts." No one laughed at her attempt to humor. "He doesn't change people," she added.

"How do you know?" Carlisle addressed Bella but then turned to the now empty parlor entry. "Has anyone ever consumed your blood, Jacob?"

"No," a small voice came from the other room. Carlisle's question made Jacob think of Jasper and he knew that Jasper would be sorry he missed the display.

Edward came back into the house with clothes neatly folded in his arms and walked into the parlor. He barely registered the back of the piano as he stood in the room where his mortal life ended. He was focused on his friend. Edward was aware of the faint scent of kerosene but did not make any connection.

"That was loud," Edward said to Jacob as he held out the trousers.

"I know," Jacob said apologetically. "Do you think that's what it was? Do you think she was frightened?"

"I don't know," Edward replied. "Would you like me to go talk to her?"

"No, thank you." Jacob tucked his shirt into his pants and plucked his rolled socks from Edward's open hand. "I need to go to her."

Edward returned to the dining room while Jacob continued on through the parlor and entered the garden from the opposite side, near the chess table. Rosalie was sitting at it with her head in her hands. The pieces scattered to make room for her elbows.

"May I sit down? Please?" Jacob asked in a voice that wavered noticeably.

"Go ahead, Jacob," Rosalie responded. She seemed calm. "I'll always talk to you." She sat up and busied herself with resetting the chess board. "Only you might not like what I have to say."

Jacob sat down across from her and fiddled with the jade pieces on his side of the board. There was a new addition, a simple but smooth wooden carving of a man wearing a crown in what would have been the king's empty space. He picked it up and studied it with curiosity.

"This is nice," he said, already feeling he had lost control of the conversation.

"Emmett made it for me this afternoon," Rosalie informed him.

If Jacob felt like he had lost control before, he now felt like he was in a freefall. The sensation raced through him and was completed when his heart seemingly slid up his throat. He decided to say what he had to before his mouth dried up.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie. More than you'll ever know." His eyes prickled abruptly and he shook his head at the ease of his tears. "I'm almost as old as Bella and I've only ever loved three women in my life." He voice shuttered like a kitten in the wind. "My mother," the first round tear rolled down his left cheek quickly followed by two more on the right. This was the first time he had spoken of his mother since meeting Bella and his emotions made his body shake as hard as his words. He was in danger of changing again, causing Rosalie to suffer the same fate as the very woman he mourned even then. He sniffed hard and continued. "Leah…the only other lover I've ever had… and you…" Jacob tried to hold his mouth in place but his lips twisted in pain. "I have been waiting for you for three centuries…and I've been…." His last words were caught in a sob but Rosalie heard them perfectly, "so lonely."

In the dining room, the two couples were just beginning to rise and set upon washing the dishes when Jacob's sobs whispered into the two sets of ears that could hear such things. Bella's eyes widened but Edward soothed her with a light touch on her thigh beneath the table.

_Let's make this quick so we can go help him._

Bella squeezed Edward's hand as she communicated her wish and, although he was not sure that was the best idea, he complied if only to get the tedious chore out of the way. They each lent their speed to the tasks. Carlisle was positively giddy as Bella raced around the table collecting silverware and Esme marveled at the blur Edward's hand became as he scrubbed the pots in the kitchen.

Back outside, Rosalie was moved by Jacob's words and seeing him cry was enough for her to catch her breath.

"I don't know what I was expecting, Jacob." Rosalie looked right at him, his cheeks slick and reflecting the garden's often generous compliment of moonlight, "but it wasn't that."

Jacob remained silent. He had no words to offer her.

"Listen, I'm not saying that I don't love you anymore." She was treading madly and she knew it, she just needed some time to process everything. "I'm not even saying that I don't want to see you but…" Jacob heard her next sentence in the breath she took to speak it. "…Let's slow things down for a while."

Jacob felt like an anchor had dropped on him but he nodded his head, grateful for what was a moderate reaction given her options. "Would it have made a difference if I was a vampire like Edward?"

"I don't know." Rosalie gave his suggestion some thought. Jacob always did ask good questions. "I guess it's easier to process when your brother walks in all pale and confident and says, 'I'm a vampire,' than watching the man you love turn into a…"

"A monster?" Jacob asked, looking down.

Rosalie frowned. "Oh Jacob, I don't think you're a monster."

"Are you scared of me?"

She laughed, lightly.

"What am I to you then?" Jacob sounded desperate.

"My Big Spoon." She felt a tear threaten to spill down her smooth cheek. It welled in the bottom of her right eye, catching the light from the parlor window.

Bella and Edward entered the garden through the gate followed by Carlisle and Esme, who was still drying her hands on her apron. Seeing her father reminded Rosalie that she had an apology of her own to make.

"I'm sorry I told my Dad to lie about the letter," she said to Jacob. "It was my last option."

"I understand," he said softly, "and having him bring a gun was a brilliant move although you couldn't have known that I…"

"What!" Rosalie stood up to scold her father but took one look at her brother and realized that he was the new family patriarch. She pointed at her Carlisle and addressed Edward. "He pulled a gun on Jacob!"

Carlisle waved his arms franticly, dispelling the notion. "That's not what happened."

Jacob stood up and put his hand on Rosalie's shoulder. He expected her to shrug it off and his heart ached at what his brain had already begun to accept. "I smelled the gun, Rose." Jacob explained. "Carlisle didn't even know I was aware of it."

Carlisle looked at Rosalie and watched the anger slide off her face like sand. He then approached Jacob, hand outstretched. "I'm sorry I even considered bringing it," he said.

"Don't be," Bella pled from behind him. "You were just trying to get to your son and that's not something to fault anyone for. She stepped up beside Carlisle. "And Jacob, if I had known that he was carrying a gun, I would have never reacted so poorly. I'm sorry."

Edward was standing with his mother. "Why would a gun make a difference to an immortal?" he asked. "You are immortal aren't you Jacob?"

"So far," he said humorlessly. "And, to answer your other question, modern firearms are still fairly new. They were invented and thrust into the hands of a million soldiers before humans could fully appreciate the kind of power that comes with killing so effectively with such little proximity to the victim." He looked over at Bella. "When we see a human with a gun, we have learned that they will most likely find a reason to use it. That would have made things far worse in this case."

"Not to mention, it hurts a lot," Bella added.

"You've been shot before?" Edward asked with amazement. Even Jacob arched an eyebrow.

"Back in my pirate days," she explained to the group.

_Not as badly as you my love, _she answered him privately,_ but it was a sobering experience._

"So, what are you two doing out here?" Edward asked, changing the subject and trying to lighten what he could tell was a dark mood.

Jacob took an uncalculated risk. "Well, Rosalie has just agreed to forgive me completely if I beat her at chess."

Rosalie looked outraged and crossed her arms over her chest.

In the tense moment that passed, Carlisle turned to Bella suddenly. "Can I tell them?" He asked her.

She did not know what Carlisle meant but caught sight of Edward who, having heard Carlisle's thoughts, moved his chin upward like Bella did when she took off into the sky.

"Sure," Bella told him.

"She can fly." He told his wife and daughter with excitement. "I saw her do it today. It's amazing."

Rosalie uncrossed her arms. "Can you fly?" she asked Jacob.

"No," he answered.

Rosalie crossed her arms again. "Let's play."

Bella was particularly interested in the outcome of the game because she wanted Jacob to secure another chance with Rosalie and because she herself was a student of chess, a master actually. Edward heard her thinking about strategies and nudged her. "You play chess?' he asked, in a low whisper.

"You don't play chess, my love," she answered. "Chess plays you."

They all watched as Rosalie, playing silver, moved out her first pawn. Jacob followed suit and they were off. He knew that she was better than him, but also knew that they shared many pleasant memories in Versailles playing long games. He was hoping that they could just relax around each other and maybe she would see that things were still going be the same between them.

She beat him in nine moves.

"Good night, Jacob," she said abruptly and went inside.

Bella chased after her while Jacob walked towards the carriage. Carlisle followed Jacob out the gate but turned toward the kitchen.

Edward was alone in the garden.

He took a moment to see it for the first time with vampire eyes and thought it to be the most beautiful place he had seen yet. When he went in to convince Bella to let his sister sleep, he was thinking of a possible garden at the theatre.

As he walked into the parlor the smell of kerosene assaulted his nose again, this time with more force. He looked at the piano. It seemed normal as did the surrounding area and Edward sat down by habit.

Since discovering that he could visualize and lock away emotions and desires he was confident in the mastery of his mind. That night for instance, he carefully boxed up all his cravings for human blood so he would not attack his family in a newborn frenzy. However, he was still new to his mental defense and at processing emotions in general. It was a shock, therefore, when he discovered a nasty backdoor into a complete breakdown.

Memory.

And Edward remembered everything.

The sound of the shotgun blast and the heat that tore through his body.

Blood spraying all over the music, the keys and his hands just before the piano rushed up to meet him.

The faint screaming from Margaret and the gentle treatment from Jacob's huge hands.

The Moonlight Sonata.

Edward screamed in pain and fury as he stood up and pounded both fists on top of the instrument. It nearly split in two as it collapsed and drove all four legs through the wooden floor.

* * *

Jasper was waiting when Jacob's carriage arrived at the theatre and he could see that Bella was the whip. He did not have to see her face to know that she was upset.

_Jasper's here, _she thought, communicating this to Edward even though he was in no condition to care.

After she heard the enormous crash in the parlor, Bella rushed away from her budding conversation with Rosalie. Edward's sister was at her heels and, together, they found the room devastated but deserted. When Bella ran out to the carriage she found both men inside. Jacob was stoic, empty. Edward was curled up in his lap crying in great yelps like a baby.

Bella immediately jumped up onto the bench and did not think to wave to the three dumbstruck humans standing outside the kitchen door as she led the carriage away.

By the time they got home, Edward had composed himself enough to believe that he understood the nature of his reaction but was still horribly embarrassed and angry with himself. He stepped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped and looked up at Bella.

"Do you think Alice is nearby?" he asked.

Bella nodded her head. "Most likely."

"Good," he said gaining confidence with every word. "I want everyone to meet in the auditorium in fifteen minutes." He turned to Jasper as Jacob stepped out of the carriage.

"Good evening, Jasper." Edward sounded like he did not have a care in the world.

"Hello, Edward." Jasper was at the lobby doors holding and twirling a beautiful cane with a gold dragon's head. He was also wearing a dashing black hat with a wide brim and a smooth round top. It looked like it was made from the same braided hide that wrapped the cane.

"I'm very glad you're here," Edward said. "I have had a disastrous first night out and it has inspired me to hold a meeting with our troupe to plan for the future."

Jasper had no idea what Edward was talking about but was pleased to see him acting so confident despite his confession. "After you."

Bella swept by them both and unlocked the door while Jacob walked the horses around back.

_Don't tell him you told your family yet Edward, _she thought as she opened a door and held it open for the men. _He is not going to be happy about it, I promise you._

Edward looked very relieved once he was inside the doors and nodded to Bella. "Can you find Alice and bring her here please?"

"I just came from her shop," Jasper said over his shoulder as he walked into the auditorium. "She should still be there. Do you want me to go get her?"

'No," Edward replied. "Bella will do that. I need to speak with you before we begin if I may?"

Edward and Jasper took seats near the front while Bella disappeared behind the double doors at the back of the stage. Edward felt better but was still shaken by his earlier loss of control.

"Jasper," Edward began. "I have some good news and some bad news."

"Good news, first." Jasper responded.

"I have been developing mental powers," Edward told him. "I can picture and trap emotions and bad feelings in my mind and when I do I am no longer effected by them." _Mostly, _he thought, grateful that no one could hear his addition. "I successfully tested my impulse control concerning human blood this evening and I think I can apply the same technique to many other aspects of vampire life."

Jasper nodded his head approvingly. "And the bad news?" he asked.

"My family found out and I know that you…"

_Well, we're going to have to kill them, Carlisle too. _

Jasper's thought bullied the words right out of Edward's mouth and he was on his feet in response.

"Let me make something very clear to you, Jasper," Edward spoke between his teeth. "If you ever touch my family I will drag you into the sunlight myself."

His voice was full of menace and Jasper knew Edward meant every word.

Jasper did not like being threatened, especially from a newborn who apparently thought he had it all figured out on his first full day. Never mind the fact that Edward's threat promised the same kind of death Jasper had delivered to his maker. Edward heard all those thoughts and one other before he was standing at the business end of a thin silver sword placed at his Adam's apple.

_Edward needs to learn who's in charge._

Jasper twisted the golden dragon's head on his cane and pulled out a long rapier in one quick fluid movement. Edward stood still, looking into Jasper's eyes.

"You have underestimated my patience with disrespect, Edward." Jasper said calmly.

"And you," Edward said, leaning into the blade so that the tip pierced his throat, "have underestimated everything else." He leaned in even further, the blade sinking in at least an inch and actually causing his blood to bubble over the blade.

_What are you doing? _Jasper thought and pulled his sword away.

Edward put a hand to his throat and spoke in a whisper until his throat healed. "I know you are in love with Alice and that we are the closest thing you have had to a family in a long time." Edward sat back down, his eyes trained on Jasper. "You just had a bad reaction that's all. I have had some experience with that lately so I know where you are coming from."

Edward paused so that Jasper would be sure to understand his next command.

"My family is off limits no matter how strongly you disagree with my actions. As promised, we did not say anything about you so that makes this our business and not yours. Do you agree?"

Jasper slowly nodded his head.

"I need you to be my friend and teacher, Jasper, but I will be leading the group from now on." Edward now considered the matter closed. They could hear Jacob enter the theatre behind them. "We need to implement some changes and I intend to start tonight."

Jasper did not know what had happened to Edward in the day since they had seen each other. He only knew that he did not like it. Feeling challenged, he decided to test Edward's mental abilities by thinking in visuals instead of words. Jasper imagined himself creeping though the Cullen house quickly and silently ending the lives of its residents as painlessly as possible with asphyxiation.

Edward did not so much as blink an eye so Jasper tried to think in pictures from that moment on.

Jacob sat down on the other side of Jasper. "Gentleman."

"Hello Jacob," Jasper said. "How is your evening?"

"It's been awful to tell you the truth," Jacob answered, "but I dare say that the Cullens had it worse." Edward cringed.

"How so?" Jasper asked.

"Didn't Smashoven here tell you?" Jacob laughed. "We both made quite an exit."

"All that can wait till later Jacob," Edward interjected. "Here are the girls."

The stage doors opened and Bella and Alice walked out on stage. Edward rose and greeted them on the stairs. "Hello Alice. Thank you, Bella. Will you both please take a seat?"

"What happened to your neck?" Bella asked, alarm registering in her eyes.

"I was just showing Jasper something," he said quickly and pressed up the stairs.

They took their seats, Alice sat next to Jasper in the seat Edward had vacated and Bella next to Jacob who was on his other side. Edward walked to center stage and addressed the room.

"I realize that I am the youngest member of this family," he began, "and I learned tonight that I still have a lot of adjusting to do. I know now that I can't expect to solve my problems in a single night but I do think that together we can create a life that we can be proud of. I, for one, will not be leaving this theatre until I am satisfied that we have."

Jasper sat with his hands folded on top of his cane. Jacob put his left arm around Bella, and Alice pulled Jasper's hat from his head and began inspecting it.

"I would like to start with how we feed," Edward continued. "Now I know that we have no choice but to take blood from humans to live, but maybe we could make better choices about who we take the blood from." He looked like a college professor giving a lecture as he walked slowly from one side of the stage to the other. "Jacob eats regular food, of course, but he explained to me in the carriage ride over here that he has fed from forest animals when he was…in form."

Jasper was just given another clue about Jacob but he was more focused on how dangerous Edward was becoming. With no small effort, he kept his thoughts vague and used imagery. It seemed to elude Edward's perception and allowed him the freedom to keep his own secrets.

"I have arranged for us to sample various animal blood and…"

_Edward? _He suddenly stopped as if Bella had addressed him out loud. "Yes?"

"You could have asked me about this," Bella began. "I've been desperate enough to drink a child's blood, Edward. Do you think I haven't tried every animal under the moon just to stay alive sometimes?" Like Jasper, Bella was soured by such a young vampire assuming that he and he alone had the answers. "It won't work."

"Told you," Jacob said to Edward.

"That's fine." Edward shrugged it off and moved on. "Jasper, how many people come into the hospital with critical injuries they have no hope of recovering from?"

Jasper thought in words so as not to arouse Edward's suspicion, _let's see…_ "I guess it's about one a day, sometimes more."

"Is this where you get your human victims?" Edward asked.

_How DARE you!_ came his instant thought. "Yes," he said in a miniscule voice. He had always been sensitive to the fact that he was violating the first rule of his Hippocratic oath by feeding from patients, even if they were terminal, and was embarrassed to have it brought up.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Jasper," Edward said and walked up to the edge of the stage. "I assume you ease their suffering considerably?"

Jasper nodded.

Edward sat down and looked at the dead instruments in the pit. He reminded himself that he had business there before Clementine showed up the next day. "And you only choose those who have absolutely no hope of recovering?"

"Yes, of course." Jasper said.

"I'm proud of you, Jasper." Edward said with admiration. "You are the only person in this room who is prepared to come about your meals honestly."

Alice and Bella looked as if they had been slapped but Jacob was the one who protested vocally.

"I don't even drink blood!" he said with a pointed finger. "You said so yourself."

Edward nodded his head solemnly. "That makes you the worst of all Jacob," Edward countered. "You don't even need it yet you kill for Bella and lower her a nice meal. Tell me, do you knock them out and drag them upstairs or do you lure them in and tie them up wide awake with another dirty rag shoved into their mouths?"

_Edward! What has gotten into you? _Bella's thoughts were their loudest when she was angry. Edward even noticed they had a slight echo to them.

Edward pointed at her with controlled anger. "You were going to kill me the night we met," he reminded her. "I was a young man! Someone with a family and a future, and you would have sucked that away just to satisfy a thirst!"

Bella began to cry and Alice stood up, with fury in her eyes. "Who do you think you are to come in…"

Edward did not speak his next words loudly, he did not have to. He actually said them in a hushed voice, like he was talking to someone holding a beaker of nitroglycerine.

"Sit…down." He had a look in his eye and a quivering mouth that reminded Alice of a cat waiting for a bird to twitch. He looked like he was waiting for her to disobey.

She sat.

After several tension filled moments, Edward spoke once more.

"For a group who wants to protect and preserve the human race, I know we can do better than choosing people at random."

He looked at them, one at a time. "Am I wrong?"

_No, _Bella was ashamed. She had known better for years but simply lost touch. She went for low life drifters when she and Alice went out but that was mostly out of accessibility.

_No. _Alice did not want to admit it, resented it in fact. She had always chosen men who approached her looking for romance even though it rarely warranted a death sentence. Alice had always justified her actions by making sure the men enjoyed their final moments.

_Maybe he is the leader now. _Jasper was smiling, _but…_the rest of his thought faded and disappeared. Edward was aware of this and it made him curious.

_It's not that easy to always find sick people and bad guys. _Jacob's thought was the perfect cue for Edward to lay out his plan.

"Jasper? Do you take humans into the morgue and feed there?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Jasper confirmed.

"Are there many who die that you don't need to feed from?"

"Usually."

"I know that you have bottled vampire blood. Would you be willing to bottle human blood as well?"

Jasper was stunned. The idea was so simple, so elegant, and within reason. He had never needed to bottle human blood because there were always humans around to feed from. "I would need to know exactly the amounts we are talking about here."

"A fair request," Edward agreed. "Bella? How much do you require a day?"

"Um…about two liters," she said.

"Astounding!" Jasper exclaimed. "That much?"

"How about you, Jasper?" Edward asked.

"A liter a day for me," he answered.

"Alice?" Edward had not spoken to her directly since he told her to sit down and she was still pouting.

"A liter I guess," she replied while staring over Edward's shoulder.

"Really?" Jasper responded with great surprise. "That's a lot for someone your age."

"I told you so," Bella reminded him of their conversation in Notre Dame when Alice was laying half naked and bleeding on the alter.

"Alright," Edward said, "I don't really know how much I need…"

_I'd say a liter to be on the safe side,_ Bella suggested.

"…but I bet it's around a liter as well."

"You make hungry vampires, Bella." Jasper observed, only partially teasing.

"Can you do it?" Edward asked him.

"Actually…yes." Jasper's answer surprised even him. "That's only about one person's worth but I can't keep it warm."

"We've thought of that," Edward responded. "Jacob, if you would."

Jacob stood without a word and left up the aisle. Edward continued. "On those days when you cannot obtain human blood I was thinking we could drink vampire blood and we would, of course, help you stock your cellar in exchange for your assistance."

"Actually, we could just keep a reserve of our own blood for such an occasion." Jasper reasoned. "Once or twice a week only, perhaps on my days off. I'll remind you that it's not a long term solution."

"We understand."

"Edward? May I ask how Carlisle took the news?" Jasper was warming to the idea of Edward taking charge. He was good, smart, and had an enormous heart.

"Actually, he took it quite well," Edward stated, "but I think that Bella flying around at that same moment made it easier for him to believe."

Jasper turned to Bella. "He knows about you too?"

"Of course," Bella was not going to regret her decision no matter what Jasper thought. "They all do."

"What did Esme and Rosalie think of Bella's flying?" Jasper asked.

"They weren't there for that," Edward corrected.

Jasper was confused. "But you just said that she was flying at that same moment."

"Carlisle found out here at the theatre," Edward clarified. "My mother and sister found out at dinner this evening."

_Here it comes_, Bella thought with her face thrown into her palm.

"Do you mean to tell me…that you all just went over there and TOLD them?" Jasper laughed inwardly at himself for thinking a second ago that this fool could be trusted to lead anything.

"My business, Jasper," Edward reiterated his point in a voice that sounded like a parent warning a child. "I may be a fool, but I just developed a way for three vampires to survive without killing at random. That's over one thousand lives saved a year!"

_Oh! _Alice thought, _I never added it up before._

Jasper was impressed once again and tiring of his back and forth doubts. Rather, he decided to focus on the scientific aspect of Edward's growth, supporting him as long as there was no immediate danger resulting from any decisions he made. He would ask to do a physical examination later and get back to the marvel of what he was becoming instead of letting envy cloud his duty. He had stopped thinking in pictures for the time being and Edward responded to what he heard.

"Thank you," Edward said to him. "I won't let you down and I promise to consult you in the future. Today was…today."

"In just a few minutes it will be tomorrow," Alice said.

Jacob returned with two round thin hide water skins tethered by a two flat leather straps. He walked directly to Edward and handed them over. "These aren't the good ones I showed you but they will hold two liters each, one for Bella, and one for you and Alice to share."

"Perfect," Edward said and Jacob walked down the stage stairs and back to his seat.

"These skins will ride on Jacob's horse like saddle bags." Edward explained. "Jacob assures me that they will stay quite warm as he has had many a burning sip from them over the years. He will meet you at the hospital daily, at the time of your choosing, to collect the four liters for us. I imagine that you will just feed as you always have, directly from the human?"

"Yes," Jasper answered. He was once again surprised at the simplicity of the brilliant idea.

Alice squeezed his hand. "I think it's a wonderful idea, and I wish I could go with Jacob and see you at work."

"Maybe we could even get Dr. Cullen to help," Jasper suggested. He was not serious about the request, just merely testing the group for a response. The resounding chorus of 'No's' immediately rose into the air and separated into their different tones before colliding with one other in the large room.

"Well, at least you people have some sense," Jasper laughed.

"Hey!" Alice said and hit him, hard.

"Let's move on," Edward instructed. "Jasper, thank you for the chance to make this work. It is a real gift," he paused. "Now if I may impose further, I would like to ask for another." He gave Jasper a chance to object but he did not. "Bella said that you offered to teach her and Alice some basic fighting skills?" Jasper nodded, remembering well. In truth, he had already given Alice a few private lessons.

"I was hoping we could formalize that plan and begin training all three of us." Edward turned to Jacob. "I think you will be very helpful as well, Jacob, and I was hoping you would also participate in combat and weapons exercises."

"What war are you expecting to fight?" Jacob asked, truly puzzled.

"A world war," Edward said grimly.

"That reminds me," Jasper said, standing up. "I have something for you, Edward." He walked up the stairs with the help of his cane and swept his hat off in a deep bow as he approached. "I wanted you to have something potent but available and Alice suggested that something like her weapon might be in order. I agreed, so here it is." Jasper handed the cane over to Edward who immediately twisted the golden dragon's head and pulled out the rapier with a deadly silky sound.

_I should never have drawn it on you Edward._ This time Jasper's thoughts were clear. _You have made exceptional progress and I was jealous. "_I'm sorry," he said out loud as he handed over the wide brimmed hat.

"What's this?" Edward asked.

"That," Jasper said, "is your secret weapon."

Edward felt that the hat was heavier than it looked and, upon closer inspection, saw the worked metal between the braids of smooth black hide.

"Is this a blade?" Edward asked.

"Perfectly balanced and it will slice through a hell of a lot if you spin it well." Jasper said, proud of his fashion accessory. "Alice helped me," he added.

"As soon as you use it the braids will be sliced off, but I have many replacement skins already," Alice explained.

Impulsively, Edward looked around for a place to throw the hat.

_Oh no you don't, _came Bella's stern thought. Edward sheepishly placed the hat on his head.

Jasper observed that Edward looked like a puzzle whose last piece was now firmly in place. He wore the hat back on his head so there was no shadow on his face as he put the sword back into the cane and twirled it experimentally.

"Thank you, Jasper," he acknowledged the gift. "I just need to learn how to use it now."

_I sure wish Jasper had been around when I got Bella to turn me, _Alice's shocking revelation suddenly entered Edward's mind. _He would have been a big help._

Edward froze when he realized the depth of Alice's deception and slowly turned toward the trio in the chairs.

"I'll need to speak with each of you privately now," he stated, his gaze falling directly on Bella's alleged best friend.

"Starting with you, Alice."

* * *

**NOTES:**

**Thank You to everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending. I appreciate it all.**

**June is here which means we are getting closer to the Fandom Gives Back fundraister for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. I will be contributing an outtake toward the cause and a Team Bella Voce has been formed. If you are interested in joining the team, p****lease contact my dear friend April. She will make sure that your FGB/ALS donation will get you the exclusive outtake from my story.**

**She can be reached via email - aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also tweet her (at)aRedi.**

**If you are interested in Bella Voce merchandise AND want to help support the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit the myt_spot(dot)com website. To make things easier, I have placed the link on my author's page. ALL proceeds from the sale of these items will go to the fundraiser. From what I'm hearing the Big Spoon/Little Spoon merchandise is fairly popular.**

**This charity supports children who have been diagnosed with cancer. No matter how you opt to support FGB, it is a worthwhile endeavor.**

**I'm excited to be participating in this event. Thank you to all who are working countless hours to organize it and to those donating your hard earned money to make it a success.**

**MOG**


	19. Chapter 19: Walking On Water

**Disclaimer:**

**I bet Stephenie Meyer didn't have to think up this many disclaimers.**

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**Chapter Nineteen:**

**Walking On Water**

The auditorium gaped like a giant open mouth in the silence that followed Edward's request. Jasper and Jacob looked at each other while Alice melted into her chair. She was a bit soured by the new Edward despite his revolutionary concept for feeding and did not like how he sent everyone away the moment she thought of her deception to Bella.

She knew that Bella was deeply in love with him and Alice had seen for herself how kind he was. She suspected that he was merely adjusting to his new life but he was very perceptive and very convincing.

Bella stood up and walked up the stairs on the left side of the pit. She was wearing a rose colored cotton dress with thin straps and a ruffled skirt that stopped below her knees. Although the dress was quite contemporary and looked more like something Alice would wear, Edward found it formed to Bella's beautiful figure perfectly. She touched him on the shoulder as she passed by him on the stage.

_I'll be downstairs when you need me_.

Edward's response was spoken to the back of her hand, which he caught and kissed lightly. "I will be brief. Please draw us a bath."

Bella smiled, her body warming with excitement and anticipation as she went through the stage doors. Her sitting room always smelled like the books she kept downstairs, as well as the faint scent of the various perfumes and make-up items she kept on a small table near the back wall. Above the table was a small mirror that was ringed with newly available electric lights, a gift from Jacob. He always connected them to his siphoned system on show nights.

Jacob caught a brief glimpse of that mirror as he stood up, tugging on Jasper's collar as he did so. "We'll be upstairs," he informed Edward. "Call when you're ready for us."

Jasper knew that Alice was in no danger being left alone with Edward and realized that he had just been given an opportunity to speak with Jacob privately. He assumed that Jacob lived on the premises and wondered if he was about to see his private quarters. Such an opportunity could reveal much about the mysterious man.

Together they walked up the aisle, leaving Alice the sole occupant in the auditorium. She was watching quietly as Edward made his way down from the stage.

"Alice," he began as he sat down in the chair next to her. It squeaked with a tiny protest. "I like you very much." He was looking down at first, his hair hanging in front of his eyes but he looked up as he completed his introductory thought. "I can promise that Bella's love for you has no limits."

"Thank you." Alice did not know what else to say so she shuffled her pearl white shoes nervously on the carpeted floor.

"Would you mind answering a question about the night she turned you?"

_He knows._

Edward nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, I do. Why did you trick her?"

Alice's eyes became two huge full moons and her mouth was a black hole of shock. "You can't tell Bella, Edward," she spoke in the smallest of whispers, imagining that Bella could hear the conversation. "It would kill her."

"Why do you think that?" Edward asked, sensing that Alice was about to make his argument for him. He was correct.

"She feels horrible that she lost control and bit me," Alice responded. "If she knew that I had planned it she would never forgive me." Alice began to weep and buried her face in her small hands.

Sensing her anguish over her actions, Edward leaned into her and touched her knee gently. "She is torturing herself over this, Alice," Edward said softly. "I have already heard her think about it dozens of times."

"But I've waited too long to tell her now." Alice's words were wet and weak.

"Do you hear yourself?" He responded quickly but compassionately. "It only happened eight years ago. You will be friends for eternity. Do you really want to keep this secret forever? Knowing that every day Bella blames herself for it?"

"She'll be angry," Alice whimpered.

"She'll be relieved," Edward countered.

"No, she won't," Alice wept harder. "She'll hate me."

"Bella feels very close to you, Alice, and one of her greatest fears is losing you," he said. Edward's words cooled her ear and warmed her heart. "She will gladly trade forgiveness for relief, knowing that you fear the same thing."

Alice remained silent and contemplating Edward's statement. He decided to offer her reassurance.

"I will let you approach her and tell her when the time is right, but I need to know that you are committed to doing so."

Alice nodded her head, her bottom lip protruding slightly. "I know you are right, but I'm so scared."

"I think this will be the best thing for your friendship, Alice," Edward said. "It will take such a weight off of her chest. Do I have your word that you will tell her?"

"Yes," she said looking him in the eyes, "but only if I can offer you some advice in return?"

"Of course," Edward was more than willing to agree to her request, curious to hear what she wanted to tell him.

"You need to stop being so overbearing," she said a little too loudly.

He looked confused.

"Oh please, Edward. You can't expect me to believe that you haven't noticed how you walked in here and started giving orders."

"I am aware of my actions," he confirmed.

"You were being rude," she turned in her seat and faced the stage, "and you will lose your friends if you keep it up."

"Hmm, this could be a problem," he replied, more to himself than her.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

Edward took a deep breath. "I destroyed my parent's parlor tonight," he admitted. "I smashed the piano when I remembered what happened to me there. I was scared and sad and angry and I lost control. I thought I had discovered how to capture my emotions, but they all came out at once…" he trailed off lost in thought, "…as if they were alive…"

"What does that have to do with you being rude?"

_I never understand you._

Edward laughed. "Well, I'm beginning to think that my mind is more like a barnyard than a warehouse," he attempted. "All my emotions, memories, and feelings are like little animals that I have to find and place safely in a pen. I didn't know that they could wiggle out so easily. As I was coming back into the theatre, I decided to lock away all worry and I think that made me stop being concerned with everyone's feelings."

"Wait. You took away your ability to worry?" Alice asked.

"Yes," Edward said proudly. "It calmed me right down and allowed me to pursue the plan I laid out for you all tonight."

"Aren't you worried that now you won't be worried about the things that you should be worried about?"

"No."

"Well, that's not a surprise," she said dryly. "Why don't you try letting worry out for a second and answer that question again."

Edward closed his eyes for a moment.

_Yes, let your little worry chicken out, or whatever you do. _

Alice's thought made Edward laugh loudly. He regained his composure and, after another moment, he turned to her with educated eyes.

"I see what you mean," he said like a scientist discovering a new element. "I think I owe you all an apology. I'm sorry, Alice."

"Just remember Edward that your heart was your best quality as a human, and there is no reason to lose it just because you died." She smiled widely, in acceptance of his apology.

"It sounds like you and I both have some things to atone for," Edward mused.

"I do have things to atone for, Edward," Alice agreed. "You just need to remember that it's not about shutting out your emotions. It will be a very stale eternity for you if that's how you choose to deal with your feelings."

Neither of them could know that it was Jacob who had the most experience in this area. He had been burying his emotions down so deep for decades that his introduction to Rosalie had sprung a leak. At that very moment, he was upstairs showing Jasper the gift he had held back from her earlier in the evening.

Edward stood up, as did Alice. They hugged for the first time in their relationship and all the tension between them dissolved in the innocent embrace.

"She needs you Edward," Alice said in that moment. "More than you know."

Edward squeezed her tighter and spoke with a kind voice, "She needs you Alice, more than even she knows…yet."

"Listen," Alice pulled back, sensing that the conversation was coming to an end. "I know that I come off as a little self centered, but that works for me. It's endearing." She paused to look up at Edward and fixed him with a hard stare. "It doesn't work for you."

She walked up to the stage and went through the double doors in pursuit of Bella. "Tell Jasper I'll be at the shop, will you?" She called her parting words over her shoulder.

Edward turned and walked into the lobby. He called Jasper's name in the large room and looked at the prism effects in the crystal chandelier as he waited for the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

The lobby was almost half the size of the auditorium and Edward had loved the beautiful light fixtures the first time he saw them. Until this moment, however, he had not truly seen them at all. There were countless subtle colors that haloed the warm light - ghost blues that faded to wisps of silver, reds so deep that they appeared nearly black and green veins that connected all the colors in a web of glowing air.

"Jasper, I wanted to speak with you about other vampires we could trust." Edward began talking when he heard Jasper's foot hit the top step of the lobby's grand staircase. "But first I would like to apologize for the garish manor in which I presented myself this evening." Even when he was admitting a mistake, Edward's style and confidence bubbled over, and Jasper couldn't help but notice how sharp he looked in his spiffy new hat.

"Thank you, Edward," Jasper said with a small bow. "It means a lot to me but I don't think I can help you with vampires. Up until now, I've kept to myself."

Like Bella, Jasper did not care for other vampires much. Their aristocratic demeanor quickly grew tiresome. Having little more to discuss at that moment, the men spoke for only a few more minutes before Edward gave him the message from Alice.

Jasper left through the front doors and the evening air brought with it the smell of horses and humans alike. The breeze also carried a sweet floral scent that reminded Edward of strawberries. He was surprised at how quickly he had grown accustomed to the many street noises that penetrated the theatre's thick walls, but being outside was like being in a bee hive. Edward gave his friend an embrace and thanked him again for his future endeavors on behalf of everyone.

As he walked up to Jacob's room, Edward was thinking about what to do with the shaft that Jacob had used to ferry corpses up and down within the theatre walls. He wanted to make several changes, with Bella's permission of course. As he drew closer to Jacob's door, he refocused on the reason for his late visit.

"Come on up." Jacob's voice carried down the narrow flight of stairs and out his open door.

Edward climbed up and found Jacob sitting on the circular bench surrounding his potted fig tree. It had grown in the last few weeks and would soon need to be moved outside. The branches sagged with ripe fruit and Jacob was happily sampling a chewy fig.

Edward came right to the point.

"I'm sorry that I said you were the worst of them all, Jacob. It was uncalled for." Edward remained standing until he was invited to sit.

"You were right, Edward." Jacob said, offering him a freshly plucked morsel.

Edward took the fig and examined it as if he had never seen one before. "I was rude, and there is no excuse for that." He popped the sticky fruit in his mouth, more out of politeness than out of desire for its taste. He finished his speech with a slight impediment. "It was counterproductive."

Jacob laughed. "Where did you get that from? Alice?"

"Well, yes," Edward said. He sat down when Jacob patted the bench and picked up the miniature suit of armor that had been replaced in the tree.

"You are a natural leader, Edward," Jacob confided to him. "I'm not offended by the truth."

"Thank you," Edward said and shifted his position as he changed the subject. "I noticed that you didn't give Rosalie her present."

"Emmett has already replaced it," Jacob offered as his only explanation.

"I know she loves you, Jacob," Edward continued, "but my sister can be very stubborn and secretive. I came here to ask if I could do anything to help you win her back."

Jacob laughed sourly. "Not unless you can teach me how to beat her at chess overnight."

"Isn't Bella good at chess?" Edward asked. It surprised him that Jacob had not thought of this.

Jacob turned to him with a smile that looked like it had not seen the light of day in months. "She is amazing actually. I've seen her play…" He scratched his chin. "I just don't think that's the way to go…no…Rosalie is going to have to make this decision on her own and it would be insulting to her to think that she would alter her choice based on my performance at chess."

"Well said." Edward could see that Jacob was thinking wisely.

"I'm going to give her some time and space and see if that helps."

Edward agreed, it sounded like a good plan to him.

"Have you considered writing your feelings down?" Edward asked.

"What do you mean? Like in a letter?"

"No," Edward answered. "More like a poem or a song."

Jacob snorted a laugh. "I can't write a song."

"I'll write the music when the time comes, you just write the words."

Jacob looked at Edward like he had grown a second set of ears.

"It doesn't even have to rhyme," Edward offered.

"I didn't say I couldn't write a poem," Jacob said a bit defensively.

Edward smiled. "Just tell her who you are and what she does to you." He stood up and started back down the stairs.

"Just don't expect me to sing it," Jacob called down to him.

"I've heard you sing, Jacob," Edward countered. "You'll do splendidly."

_Go and enjoy your bath, Maestro._

Edward chuckled as he walked down the hall to the main stairs, his speed gaining the closer he got to Bella. By the time he entered the auditorium, he was running at a vampire blur and had to handle the stage doors with care so as not to rip them off their hinges.

As soon as he started down the spiral staircase he could smell the steam and soap coming from the washroom. When he walked through the still damaged curtains he could see that water was running down the large copper cone that was suspended above the circular stone tub like a hat. It looked like many big round chimneys he had seen throughout the city but, as it shimmered beneath the thin blanket of rippling liquid, Edward savored the sound of the three hundred and sixty degree waterfall obstructing everything within its borders. Bella was in there somewhere, he could smell her skin. He could almost taste her on his lips.

Edward undressed quickly, placing his cane and hat on top of his clothes and stepped through the sheet of water. The cascading fall was refreshingly cool but the water in the tub was quite warm. There was a step half way down into the large tub and he saw that it ran the entire parameter of the private basin like a garden bench. The stone was a dark gray marble with flecks of real silver and gold embedded in its smooth walls.

Bella was standing nude in the middle of the tub, water lapping around her abdomen. Edward could see she had only been standing for a moment as several droplets of water swam down her waiting breasts, drawn back to the pool.

He waded into the water and glided over to her, pressing his hips into hers as he held her cheeks with dripping hands and kissed her hard. She sank backwards and he followed her down into the water where they both ended up on their knees, kissing just above the steaming horizon.

Water that had been trapped in Bella's hair trickled down over their lips. Edward caught some on his tongue and moaned with pleasure as he surrendered to her kiss like it was gravity.

Effortless.

He lived a lifetime with her while their lips were pressed together.

Bella was almost humming with delight as the hungry and moist lips of her partner crept over her neck and pressed little hearts into her skin. He moved his mouth further down her body and his damp hair fell in clumps on the tops of Bella's breasts. It was deliciously cold and she jumped a little. Edward righted himself and held her forehead to his lips.

"I was brazen and thoughtless to you and your friends, Bella." He whispered the words above her ear as he kissed her brown curls over and over. "For that I am sorry."

"You were brilliant tonight," she corrected, "and we needed someone like you to challenge our way of thinking." She accentuated her words with a twist of her body. Her breasts, resting underneath the water, attracted his hands and he held onto her as he kissed Bella again.

The weight of her plump teardrop flesh was immensely satisfying to Edward despite the water's tendency to rob him of their full measure. Their buoyancy shifted them playfully away from his upturned palms and Bella was left with the tickle of his fingertips on the tender skin underneath.

Bella traced her fingertips up Edward's back and lifted her hands from the water like two ghost ships as they dampened his hair with exploration. The kiss was passionate but not hurried. They were both content with savoring each others lips.

Their mouths moved at different speeds, Bella's slower and more thorough, Edward's fervent and restless. The combination provided them both with a dance of exploration and excitement that bubbled like the water that ringed them.

Bella's hands sank back beneath the surface and plunged down to the shy dimples on Edward's lower back as he took her bottom lip between his teeth. Bella did not need the obvious reminder pressing against her belly to read Edward's desire, she very much enjoyed the feel of him against her skin.

Edward seemed even bigger to Bella as she looked down at the half submerged stalagmite.

_Oh. Is that one of your powers too?_ She animated her thought with the arch of an eyebrow.

Edward's laugh traveled up the copper roof above their heads and followed the inside of the cone until it crashed into the waterfall. "It's because we're in the bath," he dismissed with a shake of his head. "It's an illusion."

She gripped him with both hands, eliciting a moan from him. "No, it's not," she said hungrily and, before he knew what was happening, her head disappeared beneath the water. Waves of brown hair floated into his stomach as he felt her grip change into a delicious suction.

Bella pulled water in and out of her mouth, letting it massage Edward's hard flesh. As it swirled around bubbles were created that tickled his tender skin and he reacted nervously to the new sensation. Above the surface, he was in a private circle of light that snuck through the layer of falling water and danced on the smooth liquid of their cooling bath.

Edward listened to the intricate combination of sounds that made up the waterfall's sweet song as Bella did her best to interrupt the symphony with his delighted cries.

She was also in her own private world of sound, the muffled pressure of water in her ears transcribed the bottom half of the waterfall's composition as well as the exaggerated reports of her own activities on Edward's behalf.

_Can you hear me from underwater?_

Edward placed his hands in the oasis of hair until he found her head, he scratched her scalp lightly, indicating yes.

_Do you like this?_

Yes.

_Do you want me to keep going?_

Yes.

Bella renewed her vigor and poured her creative and powerful lips all over him. She surrounded and suckled him until she could no longer resist her own mounting desires. She had erected a spectacular monument and she wanted it inside her.

Bella resurfaced and turned away from Edward, who appeared to her as though he was in a daze and might fall over. She waded to the edge of the tub and leaned forward, grabbing onto its edge. The waterfall now splashed on the back of her neck as she raised her backside in an invitation.

Edward was behind her in a flash and, although he entered her gently, he set his feet firmly into the tub's floor and began thrusting deep inside her with a power and a need that made Bella wish she could see what he looked like in that moment.

The water splashed off her body and hit Edward in the chest as he let his strength and desire command his body as well as hers. She was soon swept away in an avalanche of climax that built up fast and exploded with a ferocity that made her glad she was holding on to something. Each wave of pleasure crashed over her faster and harder than the last and the intensity rose to a point where she nearly stopped Edward so she could collect herself. Ever the attentive lover he seemed to sense this but surprised Bella when, instead of stopping, he pushed in even further, using a reserve of strength and force that he had been holding onto for just such a moment.

Bella realized much too late that she had lost her senses for the next thing she remembered was floating serenely on her back in the middle of the tub. Edward was holding her close to him with one hand on her bottom and the other on the back of her neck.

"Just relax my love," he said as he gently rocked her back and forth. She did not resist each time her heavy eyelids drifted closed and each time she opened her eyes, Edward was smiling down at her. Sometimes she found him looking at her body and sometimes he was looking at her face. She allowed herself to be pampered and admired the sound of the falling water as it lulled her into a light resting state. Edward continued to worship her with his eyes while she let her hair trail behind her in the soothing water.

Eventually, she stirred herself fully awake and her eyes fluttered open. "What about you?" she asked Edward, her desire to please him quickly building.

He smiled down into her beautiful upturned face. "I am quite satisfied," he said quietly.

"I'm not," Bella responded and raised her body up gracefully. She placed her hand flat on his chest and proceeded to back him up to the tub's edge. When the back of his knees grazed the bench and his rear rested against the lip of the tub, the waterfall brushed his back with cool kisses, causing him to shiver. Bella quickly spun him around and sat herself down on the bench while she tenderly took Edward in both hands and feathered his belly with delicate kisses.

It did not take him long to appreciate her actions and his body rewarded her with his expanding gratitude. She stroked him lovingly and repeatedly and, as his breathing quickened, she leaned back into the waterfall offering her gleaming breasts for his own release.

Afterwards, they took great care rinsing and drying one another. Bella and Edward walked arm in arm to bed, naked, where they slept contentedly in each other's arms.

Edward woke some time after dawn and, unable to resist, ran his fingertips up and down Bella's bare legs. She was lying on her stomach so his trail led from the soles of her feet to her neck and back down, over and over again.

After a time, she awoke to his feather touch and it felt so good she did not want to drift back into sleep, but she did.

They both did.

* * *

Edward was wide awake by noon and sitting in the pit. He was wearing cranberry corduroy trousers and a billowy white silk shirt that Alice had presented him with as soon as he walked into the auditorium that morning. He did not know how long she had been there waiting for him and he certainly did not notice if she had used the underground passage and the stairwell visible from their bed.

"I will make your clothes from now on," she had declared as if it was a forgone conclusion. "These will look great on you and I will perfect your style once we get you over to the shop."

"Thank you, Alice." Edward took the proffered clothes and modestly ducked behind the partially closed curtain to change. Although he was unsure of such bold choices, he came out in a flourish, modeling the outfit for its creator.

"What do you think?" she asked. Her smile expected nothing less than his pure excitement.

Edward had not put on his new hat yet but already felt that it wouldn't go well with the flamboyant shirt and colorful pants. "It's nice Alice, but is it really me?"

"Edward," Alice said with a glare. "You would look good in a potato sack…but no…it's not you…" she acquiesced. "You need something more…?" Alice was searching for the right adjective. Edward supplied it swiftly.

"Masculine."

Alice laughed and nodded her head. "Done."

"Well, I have a lesson soon, and I need to see if I can sit down at a piano without breaking it into pieces," Edward said as he descended the stairs into the pit. His tone indicated he was serious about his intentions.

"I know," Alice responded. "I remember you saying that last night. That's why I'm here… to help if I can…to listen if not."

"Really?" Edward was touched. "Thank you again."

"Are you going to capture all your worry chickens before you start?" Alice asked.

"I don't think so," Edward laughed. "You gave me some very good advice last night, Alice, and I intend to use it." He sat down at the piano and played the first thing that came to his fingers.

The Moonlight Sonata caressed Bella's sleepy ears as she stirred awake underneath the stage.

Edward was looking all over the room with a slack jaw and Alice ran up to dance ballet on stage.

"Can you see this?" Edward asked the twirling Alice.

She did not stop to observe. "See what?"

Edward watched in awe as each note issued from the back of the piano like a blue bubble of light, spreading out to encompass the entire room. When the waves met a solid object they bounced off, dimming with each ricochet. He kept playing, mostly out of habit, because he was utterly captivated by the blue feathers of sound that reminded him of the lights flickering on the surface of the bath he had taken with Bella.

Edward could see music.

When Carlisle arrived at the theatre with Clementine, he was surprised to see him but excited to explain the phenomenon to his father. Carlisle called it _Synesthesia_, a condition in which one of the senses triggers a heightened response in another. He explained to Edward he had dealt with patients who tasted numbers or smelled words. It was an uncommon condition, but he had always been intrigued by cognitive development and had a reputation of being a fine student of the brain as well as an exceptional trauma surgeon.

Carlisle's reason to visit the theatre was simple. He needed to see how his son was doing. When Edward inquired about Esme, his father reassured him that his mother was worried about him but not angry about the damage in the parlor. If she had been honest with her husband, Esme would have expressed how she had felt like doing the same thing in the days since her son was shot.

Bella appeared onstage when she heard Carlisle's voice and tried to give him money to repair the floor in the parlor and to replace the piano but he would not accept it. Edward found the scene quite comical as he listened to Bella's increasingly aggravated thoughts all the while speaking so sweetly to Carlisle who would not budge on the issue.

She eventually dropped the matter verbally but Edward knew her scheming was far from over.

_Let's see him refuse when he comes home to find a new piano sitting on a new floor_.

Carlisle later shared his knowledge of Synesthesia with Edward, Bella, Alice and Jacob, who had wandered in only to discover that Clem had already been picked up. He told them of the studies of Gustav Fechner who, just a decade before, recorded seventy-three different types of crossed senses.

"It can be quite a disability," Carlisle informed them, "overwhelming the brain and making life practically unbearable."

"I rather like it," Edward responded.

"That's because you don't taste burned beans every time you see the color green," Carlisle explained.

"Is that true?" Alice asked. "Can that really happen to someone?"

Alice had remained in the auditorium all day, enjoying both Clementine's character and talent. She was distracted from the human girl's presence as she listened to Edward describe the visions in blue that pulsed through the room as Clem played.

"Oh yes," Carlisle responded. "The most common event is linking a number with a certain color. Whenever someone sees the number six, for instance, it would always, always appear to them in red. They even see the color in front of their eyes."

As everyone began to understand Edward's new condition, they became anxious for him to see the upcoming show especially after he sampled a few instruments and discovered they produced different colors. Strings were shades of blue, horns were riots of orange while the drums and the harp hovered between purple and a darker, more sinister blue.

Bella obliged him after Clem and Carlisle departed by playing every instrument in the pit so he could catalog their color traits. He even asked her to sing a little and it gave off a robin's egg blue that he thought fit her perfectly.

That night, bolstered by the successful lesson with Clementine and the fascinating musical discovery, Edward tested his speed. He ran through parks and weaved between buildings but found out that he could actually run along the top of the Seine River. He loved ducking under the bridges he had only recently traversed as he sped along fast enough for his forward progress to keep him safely above the surface.

It was his first time out of the theatre alone and, even though he experienced a moment of fright, he worked through the emotion rather than collecting it and locking it away. The moon was almost full that evening and, as Edward was entranced by it, he suddenly realized that its bright surface was nothing more that a reflection of the now deadly sun. He imagined being weakened by the exposure to the small amount of sunlight and it planted a seed that grew into paranoia.

He calmed himself down by thinking of Bella and realizing he was sure Jacob had been sent to follow him. To keep him safe.

He quickly understood it was the only way either of them would allow him to leave the theatre.

Edward's hair was soon wet with river air as he scooted across the surface like a bug. He could move so fast, in fact, that he ran all the way to the Atlantic Ocean in minutes and ran in large circles across the incoming waves at _Le Havre_ before returning to Paris.

Bella was indeed following him but she lost him before he left the city limits. She might have been able to catch him if she flew, but she didn't know which way to go. He was sneaky.

Edward's new life felt now like he was running across the fickle surface of a river. Everything was magical but moving very fast. He was exhilarated but knew that at any moment he could falter and wind up drowning.

* * *

He scheduled a weapons training on a Friday night with Jacob and Jasper at Notre Dame. Jasper began the session and he mostly spoke that evening. He wanted to pound in their strategy before everyone became too excited about playing with their new toys. He wanted to keep them focused on kill shots. "Maximizing damage and moving on," he said at least three times.

Jacob's method involved everyone practicing with their weapons. He had them spread out all over the big dusty sanctuary as he and Jasper stood in the middle of the room. He brought a big bag of figs which he and Jasper began throwing at the three vampires with all their strength.

Alice swept up her parasol and pulled the thin rapier from its hiding place. Strangely, Edward kept his own long blade inside the body of his black cane. He stood with his legs apart and his cane's tip on the floor between them. Both his hands were resting on the golden dragon's head.

Bella kept her razor whip in its pouch, favoring it instead of her sharp metal fan. She was smiling, ready for whatever they had to offer. Edward heard her vowing not to get hit even once as he focused on the movements of the men in front of him. He remained as still as a statue.

Alice was bouncing.

There was no warning when Jacob and Jasper each grabbed a handful of figs and used their extreme speed to pelt their friends with seven or eight each before having to grab another load.

Bella and Alice were good and avoided or sliced apart any single approaching figs but, when both men chose the same target, one projectile always got through. Bella fumed. She had not considered the possibility of the two men ganging up on her so fast and she drew her whip. It did not quite reach the ground as it dangled next to her calf.

Alice had been hit in the forehead by one of Jasper's throws and was rubbing it angrily.

Edward appeared as though he had not moved or had been hit by anything. Jacob and Jasper exchanged curious looks. They knew their aim was true and the targets were less than fifty feet away but they did not pay much attention as they made the first round of throws.

Edward heard their confused thoughts as well as their muttered verbal exchanges and readied himself for what he expected to be an all out fig assault.

The next round went exclusively to Edward. Jasper threw ten figs at him in less than three seconds and Jacob threw eight, two at a time. Edward spun his cane like an American tourist and deflected every fig with ease.

Edward constantly surprised them with simplistic solutions to all of Jacob's altered attacks. He did not receive one smudge on his clothing. He was, in fact, a silent fighter whereas Alice screamed and hooted. Bella sometimes laughed but mostly she was a grunter.

Jacob and Jasper both realized that Edward was going to be splendid. He needed some hand to hand training next and both men agreed to develop their own session.

The friends parted company when the fig bag was empty but were together again the very next day for Edward's second show in the pit.

Jasper sat in Bella's private box and thoroughly enjoyed the spicy treatment of the new show. The last time he had attended one of Bella's performances had been the year before and it had been a far tamer selection of Italian arias.

Edward was flooded with attention from his fellow musicians, who were glad to see him back on his feet and in the pit. The orchestra played brilliantly that night and the kaleidoscope of colors made him feel like his wonder would never end. The purple thuds from Milo mingled with the midnight blue from Laurent and reached out towards the yellow tones of the woodwinds and the sorbet orange of the trumpets and trombone.

It was devastatingly beautiful but could not compare to Bella.

Bella who was radiating waves of baby blue as her angelic voice hypnotized the audience.

She looked down at him often during the performance and sent Edward a myriad of mental messages.

Most were simple and sweet.

A few were a bit lewd.

And one was a bit of a riddle...

_Jacob is taking us to Spain tomorrow, but you can pack light__. We won't be wearing any clothes for days at a time._

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**Notes:**

**Family reunion for the Locklears this week so that means all travel and no writing. As a result, I will be forced to postpone my regular update next Saturday. The next chapter will post on July 10****th****.**

**I'm sorry for the delay but at least I didn't leave you with a wicked cliffhanger this time.**

**Thank You to everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending. I appreciate it all.**

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**She can be reached via email - aRedi411(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also tweet her (at)aRedi.**

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**MOG**


	20. Chapter 20: Sleeping With The Fishes

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

**Morgan Locklear owns the new Billy Burke CD (great performances, sublime songwriting, quite autobiographical)**

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty:**

**Sleeping With The Fishes**

Jacob stopped at the Cullen house on the way out of Paris and left a note explaining his prolonged departure. In it he asked Esme to cancel Edward's piano lessons for the next three weeks and imparted a message from Bella to Carlisle to reconsider her offer to replace his parlor floor as well as the piano. Jacob wrote about how much he would miss Rosalie and asked her to take this time apart to explore her true feelings for him. "I will be back in mid-September," he concluded in his letter, "and I will be tortured without you until then."

Rosalie was the one who found it, sitting on the back porch in a big bouquet of peach colored flowers with light green leaves. She was not expecting Jacob to be gone so long and felt remorse when she read the news, but it was also somewhat of a relief. Emmett had asked if he could pay her a visit and, although she was interested in getting to know him better, she didn't want Jacob to know just yet.

As it turned out, Dr. McCarty came to see her several times in the weeks that followed and the two became good friends.

* * *

Riding through France was like skimming across a giant green ocean. The slow rolling hills easily gave way to waves of emerald vineyards but Bella and Edward were unable to enjoy the beauty during the day since they were locked up tight inside Jacob's carriage.

Bella had cancelled three weeks of performances and left Beth and Julie with the unenviable task of waiting at the box office each Saturday night to break the bad news to the would-be-patrons. They printed the cancellations in the weekly circular but most people showed up unaware. Each ticket holder was offered a refund or an exchange for a future performance but it did not stop some from riddling the two young girls with complaints.

When Bella had traveled through Spain in her second century, she lived in a cultured North coast town called _San Sebastian_. It was first known as _Donostia_ when it was founded in 1180 and was still referred to by both names.

Bella lived in the abbey of _Leire _and it was her nighttime excursions to the neighboring beaches and open waters that led her to explore the shipwrecks caused by the Spanish _Corsair_ ships.

The journey although beautiful was long, nearly 800 kilometers. Bella and Edward slept during the day as Jacob moved them through the countryside and they all stayed up at night exploring the world around them. Jacob made fires each evening and hunted game while the horses grazed in the rich grass. Bella had given him a few days notice to prepare for the excursion and Jacob was able to gather many skins of blood from Jasper, who was having tremendous luck with their new method of feeding. It was very important to Jacob that his two charges not become desperate for nourishment so he made a deal with Jasper that outfitted each horse with several skins. Jasper collected almost ten liters of blood but it would not be enough for the return to France and they all knew it.

Therefore, Jacob allowed himself to fall prey to any highwaymen on the road only to overpower them and provide Bella and Edward with guilt free nourishment. It was not uncommon for privateers to victimize people on land and sea in those days and Jacob always looked upon them with pity as he rendered them unconscious, or worse.

His giant black carriage was built of thick English Oak and had a door in the middle of each side. A bench ran across the front and the back wall, leaving the area between the two doors clear. The windows were small and each had heavy shutters that the vampires could close and secure, along with the doors, from the inside.

Bella was uneasy traveling this way for so long and, now that she could fly, she wondered why she didn't just scoop Edward up and take off that evening. They could be in Spain in an hour.

"Because," Edward answered, plucking the unasked question from her mind, "This is just as much for Jacob as it is for us."

Bella looked at him with proud, loving eyes and put her hand on his soft face.

"Edward," she said softly

"Yes?"

Bella slid her hand down to his chin. "I'm so glad you shaved that last morning."

Edward's laughter filled the small dark room but when he stopped they both heard Jacob's chuckle fan out over the hills.

"Don't mind me," he said in a normal tone of voice. "It's going to be a long trip and, believe it or not, I might just prefer if the two of you found something else to do besides worry about me."

"I don't think you mean that," Edward replied. Inside he was being seduced by Bella's hand gingerly tracing the features of his face.

"It's alright," Bella answered for Jacob. "Jacob and I have lived together now for a combined thirty years or more between the caves near his boyhood home and the time spent in the theatre. We don't have to be shy."

_Maybe I could even give you some pointers. _Jacob chuckled at his private message to Edward, but followed it up with a sincere sentiment. _You two can trust me Edward, I know how you must be feeling but please don't be embarrassed, you two deserve this vacation so why don't you start it early?_

Edward was still often surprised at the size and softness of Jacob's heart.

_And besides, _Jacob had a last minute addition, _it's fun doing it back there._

During the week long journey, Bella and Edward made love in the carriage several times. It was stifling while the sun was out and the cool skinned vampires held their bodies together to remain comfortable.

Jacob proved not only to be professional and thoughtful but he sent mental warnings whenever the road had a rough spot. Edward never failed to thank his friend each night for the consideration during what must have been uncomfortable experiences.

"I'm just glad she's happy," Jacob would usually reply, clapping Edward on the shoulder.

* * *

One morning, several days into the trip revealed the Pyrenees Mountains directly in front of them. To Jacob, they swam up like an island in the fog as he was ferrying the slumbering vampires south and slicing through sunbeams that crossed the rutted road from left to right.

They reached San Sebastian only moments after the sun went down and the long shadows striped the modest buildings, dripping purple and pink light onto the cobbled streets. Edward opened the carriage door while it was still rolling and climbed up to sit next to Jacob. This magic hour was as close as he was going to get to the sun.

"It's beautiful," he said as he gazed down at the twinkling town.

"Bella lived here for a long time," Jacob responded. "We're going to her cottage on the beach."

"She maintains a residence here?" Edward asked, with eyebrows raised to the stars.

"Surprise," came Bella's voice from behind them. She was listening from inside the coach and had opened the shutters to air out the stuffy chamber.

"What's it like?" Edward asked.

"It's Bella's alright," Jacob answered.

Edward swung himself back into the coach and sat down across from Bella. "Why didn't you tell me that we were staying at your own house?"

"Because we aren't staying there," she answered simply. "Jacob is."

Edward cocked his head to the side like a quizzical puppy until he heard her think.

_You and I will be sleeping underwater…in shipwrecks._

Joy spread across Edward's face like a wildfire.

"Surprise," came Jacob's voice this time.

As they rode through the streets toward the harbor, Bella pointed out the remnants of a medieval wall in the area known as _Parte Vieja._ She gestured to the big hill in town, _Monte Urgull_ and told Edward some of the wondrous history of the Spanish jeweled coastal city.

"Before the great fire of 1813 the whole town was walled in," she explained. Jacob was also listening. At the time, he had been living at his own home much further away but everyone in Spain knew of the destruction of Donostia. Bella herself was in Paris by that time but often came to visit her villa back then.

"The whole town had to be rebuilt," Bella stated, "but some of the oldest buildings survived." She pointed to the _Iglesia de San Vicente_, the church of _Santa María_ and the convent of _San Telmo. _"They tore the wall down in '63 and reclaimed land that the _Río Urumea_ turned into sand dunes and salt marshes." She peered out the barred window as they passed sturdy stone houses and businesses. Large lazy tamarisk trees also favored the eye as the warm bay breeze tousled their leaves. "It's gotten big."

San Sebastian had two brandy glass shaped bays, one much bigger than the other and separated by a peninsula that looked like the pommel on a riding saddle. At the mouth of the larger harbor sat what looked like a big stone turtle with a great mossy back.

"_Isla Santa Clara,"_ Bella spoke reverently as the bay of _La Concha _came into view.

Jacob drove them through festive streets filled with active smiles and readied songs. Edward was treated to a flood of thoughts in the fluttering and musical Spanish language as Bella continued to marvel at the growth over the last several decades.

When they pulled up to a very pink and very round villa just up the beach from _La Zurriola, _the smaller of the twin bays, Jacob retrieved their bags as Bella led Edward by the hand inside the house which was filled with flat air.

"I haven't been here in ages," she said. "Not since opening the theatre."

"That's too bad," Edward responded. "Alice would love it."

Bella's home was small but exquisite. The main floor was one big round living space with the cooking stove located right in the middle. The chimney disappeared into the second floor which was divided into two half moon shaped rooms, each with a modest commode.

The stairs were made of a wood so dark it appeared black and they led slowly up the curved wall on the right side of the room. Following their progress made Edward almost dizzy as they slowly crept up to a quaint landing that separated the upstairs chambers.

Jacob came in and carried all three bags upstairs. He deposited the couple's bags in the room to the left and then was visible for a brief moment as he crossed the landing into his own quarters.

When he came back down, he has a stern look on his face. "Don't go bringing any sandy salvage in here you two," he warned. "Put it in the stable with the horses until I can clean it up."

"We're going treasure hunting?" Edward asked.

_Among other things. _Bella was ready for a refreshing dip that would last for days.

Bella told Jacob that they would return to the house by midnight each night if they intended to feed from the rerserve stores. There were still plenty of liters available thanks to a band of unorganized South French marauders. She secretly hoped that they would intercept some thieving pirates in boats while they swam and take their bounty along with their blood.

In truth, that was not much of a secret as Edward had listened to her think about it for the last three days of their journey.

"What are you going to do, Jacob?" Edward asked, concerned that his friend was going to loathe a lonely week in an exotic town. Jacob smiled and looked at Edward like he was surprised to have been asked the question.

_Don't you know?_

"I'm going to write down my feelings for Rosalie," he answered shyly. "Just as you suggested."

Edward beamed and Bella practically shrieked with glee.

"All right, don't get too excited," Jacob warned. "It will probably take me the whole first day to find a quill."

Bella was a blur in response. She rushed over to the honey streaked roll top desk, next to a round stained glass window of a crown of thorns floating on a delicate sea and back with a dripping quill, all in mere seconds.

_I didn't have to make a mess, _Bella thought to Edward,_ but I thought the visual had a certain comic punctuation._

Edward roared with laughter both at the spot on timing and the self congratulatory inner monologue. He kneeled and swept up the ink puddle with a handkerchief but the stone floor would forever mark the joke.

"Thank you," Jacob said sarcastically. He then took the quill and walked it over to the desk where he placed it back into the well next to a few blank parchments Bella had magically produced in the instant she was there.

* * *

Before leaving the cottage, Edward and Bella each drank a full skin leaving four left but Bella was still a bit thirsty. They decided to go out right away and hope for the best because they were both too excited to wait any longer. Edward and Bella agreed if they had no luck with scoundrels during the night, they would return before dawn to quench her remaining desire.

"I tend not to eat as much when I'm excited though," she said as they walked down to the beach.

The water was warm on their cool skin and Bella dropped her dress to her feet. It sat in the sand like a tide pool and she stepped from it as the moon caressed her smooth bare beauty. Edward smiled with his eyes first, his lips taking the scenic route and catching up a moment later.

His own wrinkled clothes came off in a breath of movement and he too stood in the naked light of the star filled night.

Jacob walked to the beach to collect their clothes as soon as he heard their splashes thinking he would not see them for days, but he was wrong.

Underwater, Edward was very grateful for his keen new eyes because he otherwise might not have enjoyed the sight of the nude goddess swimming with him.

_Your eyes will adjust my love__._

Bella always seemed to know what he was thinking.

_And __I will attempt to ask questions that imply a yes answer to make things easier._

Edward grabbed her arm and when she turned she could see the puzzled look on his face. She could also see that his cheeks were puffed out with air.

Bella's mental laugh sounded just like her real one and Edward closed his eyes in delight as he listened to it. He then felt her push her fingers into his cheeks causing a great spring of bubbles to issue from his mouth.

_I'll give you an example, _Bella thought as she looked into deep green eyes that made the very ocean around them look like a dull puddle._ Would you like to kiss me?_

Edward answered with a kiss.

_See what I mean? Yes answers._

Edward tried to send Bella mental words but she never responded. He let the muffled world of the bay fill his ears accompanied only by her sweet voice in his head. They kissed, floating a few feet from the white sand on the harbor floor and the distant surface that swallowed slivers of moonlight attempting to impregnate the liquid below.

Weightless and wrapped up in each other, Bella and Edward drifted with the tide in their embrace and sailed deeper into the inky depths of the Atlantic. The water would sometimes surprise them with hot and cold currents but that just made the water between their bodies that much more delicious.

_Follow me. _Bella instructed, breaking their kiss and darting away from him.

Edward took a moment to enjoy the view as she swam away before starting after her. They swam fast and the rushing water parting for Edward licked his skin in such a way that by the time Bella slowed down he was upon her with a hunger that sent them both cart wheeling into the midnight blue cushion of the sea.

Edward lifted Bella's body to his mouth by placing two strong hands on her rear and pulling her flat stomach up to his passionate kisses. He slid his hands up and down her back as she grabbed his head and held it between her breasts. She wrapped her legs around his back and pushed his head further down.

Edward responded by moving down until her thighs were resting on his shoulders and he was kissing the shiny pink flesh between her legs. Tight brown curls tickled his nose as they danced in the current he created while he drove them both onward with the force of his attention.

Bella arched her back which altered their movements even more. Within seconds, she was floating on her back and staring up at the blurry stars as they filtered down to her wide eyes. Edward was using vampire speed to titillate her already sensitive flesh and it created tiny Champaign-like bubbles that clung to her skin as they traveled up her entire body and stuck in her hair.

_Edward…you're…gah._

There was no use trying to think in full sentences, Bella was lost in an ocean of pleasure as the tactile bombardment of her body threatened to send her into a frenzy.

Bella's hands were deep into Edward's hair as the rush of her climax shook them both and she pushed his face into her with might when she realized he did not seem ready to stop just because she had shuddered in his grip. He knew she was not yet done.

Edward's lips pulled at her silky folds and drew them into his mouth where he used his tongue to find and capture the rose bud of flesh that made Bella tighten her thighs around his neck. He liked driving her mad and he was not intending to stop until she forced him to. Or they bumped into one of the many ships hovering above them.

Even then, he did not think he'd stop.

She would not let him.

Edward loved the way she felt and tasted. He was savoring her every twitch but he slowed down to give them both a moment of slow bliss. His tongue covered her and played with the delicate petals of skin that had grown swollen under his consideration.

_Do you want to see a shipwreck?_

Bella knew they had drifted away from the spot she first led him to but it would not take long to go back.

Edward swam up to look at her but shook his head.

_No?_

Edward pointed up to the water's surface and an escaping ship that had, only moments before, been right above their heads. He shook his head again, this time giving Bella a sour look.

_Are we in luck already?_

_Oh yes_, Edward thought to himself as he nodded his head, _but they are not_.

It was a small ship but the privateers from America had been boasting about a particularly vicious gang rape they had all perpetrated and that was enough for Edward to declare them fit for extinction.

There were eight pirates in all and Edward threw them overboard one by one with a heavy bag of gold tied to each of their legs. He and Bella fed off them for the rest of the trip while they let the ship drift until some lucky human could take possession of it and all the food items left onboard.

The bodies of the condemned men floated on their valuable tethers and were released as each one was drained and the gold taken to Bella's villa. Jacob was surprised at their early return that first night and reported that his writing was slow going, but very promising.

He would not show either of them his work until it was finished.

"It's only been a few hours," he protested. "Let me figure out what it is first."

* * *

Before dawn broke, Bella and Edward left Jacob to find shelter for the day. She led him back to a spot they had been to before but were distracted away from. It was a mile out from the mouth of the small bay, and it was a deep dark dive that exerted enormous pressure on Edward's head. He was not sure if he could swim so far down safely but Bella helped him along. She was much stronger than Edward still and she wondered if his head might collapse from the pressure before they arrived at their destination.

Edward heard this.

He was reluctant to keep going but then he saw a giant wooden Viking ship anchored to the bottom of the ocean, hauntingly still and proudly raised at both ends. He kept swimming but acclimated slower than his patience would allow.

Bella took him into the sleeping giant and over to a nest that had not been disturbed in over a hundred years. She had no possessions there, but the wood was clearly arranged into a beautiful star.

_The last time I slept in this star, _Bella thought to him,_ San Sebastian was still walled up. I had picked the coast clean but hadn't done much more than sleep by the time I got here. I wanted a change so I went to Paris but I have had my villa maintained with the hopes of exploring this area one day…I always assumed that I'd be alone. I'm so happy you are here with me Edward._

Edward thought a mountain of love her way but had to settle for showing it to her with a hug.

It was a beautiful and exhilarating first day for him, even when challenges threatened to provoke his enjoyment. For instance, he found himself unable to stay on the soft sandy ground that whole first day while they tried to sleep.

He kept floating up and bumping into the inside of the hull.

Finally, Bella had to lay on top of him to hold him down.

They did not sleep much after that.

Edward looked up into her warm brown eyes as she held herself up on elbows slowly sinking into the sand on either side of his neck and bringing her lips tantalizingly close to his.

Her hair had already fanned our around his head making his face look to her like he was the sun and her hair was his flame. Edward's eagerness poked her gently against her firm stomach before it slipped lovingly into her moist cocoon, surprising and delighting them both.

Bella sat up, slid down the rest of the way on the ship's mast he presented and cried out so that he could hear her through the thick environment. She placed both hands firmly on his chest and worked only her hips, up and down and, after a wonderful discovery, around and around until Edward's eyes rolled back in astonished delight.

Bella put her head down and focused on her task as she passionately increased her speed to match the kind of tiny bubbled friction he had so cunningly bathed her in.

Edward was shouting by the time she was done with him and put his hand to his chest in mock dire straits.

_I already stopped your heart my love._

_Yes__, you did_, Edward thought, but it was the night they met that he recalled.

Bella curled up between his strong legs and fell asleep with her head on his stomach while he placed his hands behind his head and looked up through holes in the deck at the very distant and deadly sun soaked sky.

* * *

Jacob explored the progressive city of Donostia San Sebastian and found that he greatly missed speaking in his native Spanish. He had been speaking exclusively English and what could be loosely described as French for the past eight years and fell into a pattern of thinking that filled him with all the memories that shared the unused language.

All the memories.

His bittersweet reunion with the language he spoke with his parents made him think even more about what he could lose with Rosalie and he used it to pour his fragile, if not cryptic, words onto the brittle parchment her last attendant had stocked.

He ended up with a poem entitled _Conspicuous Smile._ He was not convinced that it was very good but wondered if Edward could work some magic on it. He even wrote a tune that he could sing, but he doubted very much he'd have the gumption to sing it to Edward, even if wanted to.

As it turned out he did not have to. Edward came in singing the song one evening and Jacob nearly fell out of his chair.

"Don't look so surprised," Edward said as Jacob struggled to collect his jaw. "We slept in the bay this time, under a huge coral shelf, and I was close enough to hear you singing it all day long."

Jacob blushed, and when he felt himself blush, he blushed again.

"Shall I have a piano delivered?" Bella asked. "I would like to hear you sing it."

Jacob looked at Edward.

_I thought you said you'd sing it with me?_

Edward nodded his head and told Bella that a piano would be lovely if it could be arranged, and that they both would be serenading her when it arrived.

"A duet!" Bella was positively beside herself with glee. "Oh I do so love to hear two men singing together! Maybe we could put it on stage!"

Jacob looked horrified.

"You're not helping," Edward said to her with a warm smile.

"Nevermind, Jacob," Bella said. "I'll inquire about a delivery this evening. In fact, we came by to see if you would like to go out with us tonight?"

Edward had not been drunk in his human life and, since alcohol affected vampires just the same, his seven stout steins was enough to liberate his feelings and raise his voice. Bella drank as well, thick red wine that looked like she was making up for a century of missed communions.

Jacob was glad for the company and the three of them spent the whole night sampling the cuisine and culture of a city that would become one of Edward's very favorite places in the world. "Sebastian is sublime!" He toasted with a slur as the night carried the trio off on a carpet of music and mystery.

They were back at the villa by the time the horizon started glowing and, with one last arm around his shoulder compliment about the song he heard Jacob writing, Edward took Bella into strong but clumsy arms and ran down the beach to the water.

He fell and dropped her half way there.

Jacob cackled as he delighted in the sight of his inebriated vampire friend discover that alcohol is a cruel mistress who will seduce even the most righteous men from time to time.

Bella stood up on baby deer legs and wobbled her way down to the water where she fell with a flat crash having not removed her clothes. Edward likewise stumbled down to the shore line and flopped unceremoniously into the surf behind her.

Fortunately, Edward had deposited his wide brimmed hat and his cane in the house before they bounded to the water's edge and Bella was only wearing a cotton dress that, in that evening's humidity, might as well have been tissue paper. Jacob waited for anything of worth to surface before returning to the house to clear a space for the piano that would be arriving forthwith.

They made it to the ship with time to spare and their healing abilities denied them the delicious pain that comes with excessive drinking when they woke the next day.

When Bella gently shook him, Edward could see through the lattice of the shipwreck that late afternoon had spilled so much sunshine on the surface of the water that it looked like the sky was on fire.

He could actually see the sun and actually felt as though he was sitting in its light. But the water, at least at this depth, kept him safe. Edward was glad to see it again, he did not take the time to register any impact on him. Bella was far too distracting.

_How are you feeling my love? _Her thought was an angel's whisper.

Edward responded by rubbing his stomach.

_Me too__._

She moved to swim away but Edward grabbed her by the ankle. When she looked down at him, he rubbed his stomach again and then pointed at her.

_You're hungry for me?_

Edward nodded.

Bella settled back down on the fine grains of sand that sifted along the ocean floor and buried her feet under two little mounds of it.

_Bon appétit._

Edward was thorough and thoughtful, and thick with excitement. He used the suction of his mouth to manipulate the water around her flesh while his tongue manipulated the flesh itself.

Bella wanted him closer and pulled him up. She liked the feeling of his weight on top of her. It was as if he was her shelter.

When their bodies pressed together they felt the delicious rush of compressed water flee from their embrace. Bella liked the way it hurried between her breasts and Edward liked the way it wrapped itself under his arms and up over his shoulders.

It was a thrilling sensation for both of them and they experimented with many different hugs, squeezes and tackles almost non stop while in the seas off San Sebastian.

Bella was very playful underwater. Her hair was a constant halo of brown waves that moved like smoke behind her and tickled Edward ruthlessly.

Especially when it was near his stomach.

Edward pressed Bella into the milk of the harbor floor and kissed her neck. They both listened to Jacob begin to play the fragile melody Edward taught him on an upright piano they found in a nearby church on their way to dinner the night before. Bella had made a generous donation and the Padre agreed to have the piano sent over to her house as soon as possible. They were well past the bay but could hear many noises from the city. They had already grown accustomed to the symphony of San Sebastian and easily picked out the new addition to the orchestra.

_They must have delivered it, _Bella thought.

_More than that!_ Edward thought to himself. _He remembered the tune!_

_I am going to miss__ being with you like this Edward, but I miss something more when we're down here. _

She gave Edward a moment to guess what she might be implying before allowing the thought to form in her head.

_Y__our voice. I can't hear what you're thinking no matter how hard we try and I've barely heard you speak in days. I miss hearing what that wonderful mind of yours is hatching._

Edward laughed and hugged her tighter. He swam them up a little and past a large school of fish who dispersed and reassembled in a silver shower of fins. Then he spun Bella so she was floating upside down.

When she pressed her chin to her chest she was looking between her breasts at Edward, who was sporting a mischievous grin as he parted her legs, placing one up his chest and one up his back.

Edward had taken full advantage of the anti gravity sensation multiple times over the past week, but he gave Bella an experience that afternoon that literally had her not knowing which way was up.

She loved the feeling of holding Edward in a kind of scissor lock but it was when he leaned forward, forcing her to spread her legs further apart that she let her head fall back and allowed her arms to drift until they dangled below her head, reaching for the sky of white sand.

Edward, as usual, was very gentle when he first parted her velvety curtain of skin with his water cannon of flesh but, and maybe it was a little before she was ready that time, he quickly began filling her with every inch of it. He pushed in with enough force to make her hair swim up to cover her breasts momentarily as they both shot downward.

When her hands reached the bed of sand she pushed them both back upwards so he could do it all over again.

And he did.

They made love roughly in the mouth of the little bay of La Zurriola to the sound of the living marina, and Jacob's almost mournful melody as he brushed out the song with fingers that were almost too big for the keys, but growing in confidence.

Edward was an engine of emotion as he let both Bella's legs fall forward and knit together. He pushed down with even more force as she tightened around him and they heard yelps of pleasure leap from one another's mouths. Edward looked at Bella like she was the only meal offered to an eternal prisoner and would have been worried that he was hurting her if not for the constant verbal and non verbal confirmation that she was having a wonderful time.

When she hit the ocean floor another time, she sank up to her elbows and her feet made little sand dollars in the soft wet earth. Edward let go of her with some regret and, when she stood up, he placed a kiss to her parted lips. He held her next to a mountain of a shipwreck that held them in its pocket of cool water.

The sand next to the wooden ship created a secluded valley and the two of them stood in the glen and looked into each other's eyes. Bella's were darker than her hair which had lightened considerably in the water. Edward's were still no match for the very water around them.

_Now can we go eat? _Bella thought.

Bella took him by the hand and swam fast. The sensation was erotic for Edward as he followed in her wake. The resulting grin on his face made Bella wish she had been able to perform the same telepathy as her lover.

They tried several times over the holiday to further Bella's abilities but the hypnosis did not seem to be a gateway for her. She was unconcerned so he allowed the matter to drop, but if she had heard what he was chuckling over she would have been quite amused.

Bella towed Edward all the way to the beach and forfeited her hold on him as the sun forfeited it's hold on the sky, but not before she gave him a savagely delicious shaking that made him roar with the explosion and left him wafting to the bay floor like a snowflake as she climbed out of the water and walked up the beach to collect robes for them both.

"By the door," Jacob said without turning around, he was sitting at the piano still. Sure enough there were two robes sitting on the steps near the door and Bella scooped them up with her thanks and a wet hug that she knew would agitate the budding musician.

"We'll be right in," she said. "Edward's not…ready yet."

"Blood's in the sink," Jacob said as she left.

Bella sat on the sand in her warm robe and gazed at the smear of yellow green light that dominated the western sky. She was as close as she would ever get to viewing the sun again with her own eyes and she missed it. She knew that Edward was struggling deeply already with its sudden absence from his life and despite her unblemished happiness, or because of it, she took a moment to mourn its warmth and earthly nourishment.

A peculiar thing happened just then. Bella was lost in a human memory of the long hot walks she taken to run errands for Michael and the abbey's library as a young nun in Elsebridge. She savored the baking recollection so completely that she did not even stir as Edward exited the water and asked her a question.

"How did who know what?"

Bella opened her eyes slowly and smiled at the man standing before her, the beautiful man who had not yet bothered to don his robe.

"What?" she asked.

"How did who know what?" he repeated.

"How did who…what?" Bella was clearly dumbfounded so Edward explained his question. "When I came out of the water I heard you think, 'How did he know that'?"

"I did?"

"Didn't you?"

"I was thinking about when I was a little girl and had to take these longs walks in the sun and how at the time I…Oh you must have meant Jacob."

"What?" Edward did not follow her.

Bella laughed. "I think you were picking up something I was thinking earlier because Jacob knew that we hadn't fed."

"You were still thinking it, Bella," Edward reminded her. He picked up his robe and pulled it on and she was secretly pleased to see him take his time closing it. "The brain is a maze of echoes as far as I've been able to tell. We tend to say the same things to ourselves over and over and ask questions in triplicate…" He held up a finger. "It's just after sunset, if we had fed we wouldn't be so early…" He cocked his head towards the round villa. "I can hear him now."

Bella stood up and looked at him earnestly. "How do you stand it?"

Edward opened his mouth and closed it again. He almost did not to tell her what his first thought was, but felt that he should live by the same rules she did.

"I think I like it," he responded. "Not when I'm around a lot of people but in small groups it's fascinating to listen to the musical qualities of reverberated thoughts." He smiled as she took his hand and led him up to the villa. "Jacob thinks the same thoughts for hours on end."

"What thoughts are those?" Bella's question was innocent but Edward stopped and gave her an apologetic look.

"They are private." He looked down, worried about her reaction. "I can't tell you."

"It's nothing bad I hope." Bella could understand Edward's situation but was suddenly worried for her oldest friend.

"Nothing like that Bella, but…" Edward lowered his voice. "I think Rosalie is his last chance."

Bella pummeled him with questions in response along with demands to explain himself better but Edward simply shrugged his shoulders as they completed the walk up the beach and into the villa where they would spend the next five hours and sixteen beers talking Jacob into letting Edward sing the song for Bella…just once.

Finally, he did. And Bella thought it was beautiful. The two men sounded good together, Jacob's warm lower tones anchoring the mystifying words while Edward's bright tenor lent just the right haunting support. Bella was impressed with the impromptu arrangement and interested in the puzzling lyrics.

"What does it mean when you say you are a river bed?" she asked Jacob, more than curious to understand his creative, artistic side.

"That I've followed the path of least resistance," Jacob replied thoughtfully and without hesitation.

Bella nodded. She was a sublime musician but never thought of herself as much of a poet and was intrigued by Jacob's cryptic way of expressing his feelings. "What about when you say you're a candle that got blown out too fast?"

Jacob's face twitched. "That I was too young to lose everything." He looked up at Bella and no one had to hear it to know that he was done explaining everything in his song.

"I enjoyed the part about unexplored melodies," Edward offered, in hopes of moving the conversation forward.

"Just buttering up the composer," he said with a smile but he rose from the piano and could not be persuaded to return.

The next night it only took two hours and four bottles of wine to loosen Jacob's lips.

The night after that they were singing within the hour and not so much as a glass of tea had been consumed.

The next night they left the villa.

* * *

Jacob had the carriage all packed and ready to go by the time Bella and Edward had climbed from the beach with their last two bags of reclaimed gold from the privateers.

That night Bella rode on the bench with Jacob while Edward sat cross legged on the roof with his cane sitting across his lap and his wide brimmed hat perched proudly on his head. Bella thought he looked like a great bird.

"I'm not the one who can fly," he said with a half smirk as he heard her musings.

Jacob rested the horses at dawn when Edward and Bella climbed into the carriage and shut it tight against the oncoming sun. He allowed the two magnificent horses to graze but was back on the road by mid-day. Jacob had traveled around the bend that marked the French border by the time the couple climbed up to greet him once more.

"I'm glad we didn't miss the Pyrenees this time," Bella murmured as she walked beside the coach. Edward sat next to Jacob.

"It would be nice to see it from a higher angle," Edward remarked.

Jacob knew where this was going. "Go ahead," he said knowing that Edward was fishing for a flight.

Bella scooped Edward up and the two of them dodged the high peaks of the jostling mountains for an hour of shadows and speed. Jacob made camp and it was easy for the two vampires to locate him as they returned to the road, wind blown and grinning like loons.

"Jasper sent me with a few bottles of something he called Marcus." Jacob said as he handed the dark glass containers over to the new arrivals.

"A bottle each and you will be flying he said," Jacob spoke, making no indication that he understood the pun he had made. "And you shouldn't have to feed for days."

"He's right," Edward said. "It will buy us a few days."

"I'm sure we'll run into the unsavory type," Bella remarked. "We usually do."

* * *

A few days later, Edward was just waking up to the dark and rocking carriage that was still several hundred kilometers outside of Paris when he heard Bella whisper "Good afternoon love." It was immediately followed by Jacob's muffled voice from somewhere above them, "Good afternoon love."

"Hello," Edward greeted them both. "Where are we?'

_"La Rochelle_," Jacob answered. "We'll be in _Tours _by tomorrow and _Orleans_ the day after that."

Paris would only be another day beyond Orleans and Edward began to feel sad that the fun and adventurous trip was coming to an end. They had been traveling up the French coast but cutting inland would make for some interesting nights as the vampire couple often flew off for hours on end.

Jacob did not mind.

That was until Bella came back with a blouse Jacob knew she hadn't packed for the trip.

"If you're going to fly off to Paris to change clothes," he huffed under his breath, "Then there's no need to be on vacation."

"He's still mad at me," Bella whispered in the dark creaking room while softly stroking Edward's hair. "But he knows we like the journey."

Jacob chuckled to himself.

_At least they'll be stuck in there for a few more hours__._

His thought was loud enough for Edward to know that it was prepared specifically for him.

_Finish__ your chores. I think she'll have extra work for you today. I'll hum to myself as usual._

"Thank you," Edward said lowly.

"You're welcome," Bella answered mistaking the sentiment, but soon Edward had cause to thank her over and over again. She stroked him awake and in the stuffy dark berth he felt a powerful suction. His head listed back and forth on the cushion as the gentle rocking of the coach made him feel like he was swimming again.

He was glad that they had this kind of decompression before they jumped back into the real world. And he let the heavy air build tiny beads of moisture on the skin Bella exposed, as she slid her hand up his shirt.

When Bella stood up, Edward was yanking her clothes off in an effort to bring his ravenous lips to her slick breasts. Edward loved how cool her hair was and plunged his hands into her dense strands as he licked the drops of dew from the hard tips of her breasts.

They were both ready for a slow session of lovemaking when they felt the carriage suddenly stop, throwing them both forward. Edward went straight to the floor and Bella bounced over to the other cushioned bench.

Both Bella and Edward suspected highwaymen at once and Jacob confirmed the notion, giving a mental order that Edward communicated to her with a gesture.

_Don't speak._

Their other encounters with thieves had been under cover of night. In broad daylight the trapped couple listened helplessly as Jacob cleared his throat and spoke with authority.

"I am unarmed and do not wish…" They all heard the thunder of hooves charging and Jacob quickly thought.

_Don't get out__. No matter what you hear._

This was an unnecessary warning as both Bella and Edward were very aware of the dangers outside the protective tomb but when they heard the sound of metal splitting the air and Jacob's loud crackling transformation, the temptation to run to Jacob's aid was overwhelming for them both.

For several horrifying minutes they sat in the darkness, listening to the sounds of an all out war. The carriage was battered as men were thrown against it. Edward could hear their bones breaking and the ones who did not die outright groaned in delirium.

Edward's eyes widened as a new odor permeated the carriage's interior. The smell of blood was everywhere, and he instinctively started to move toward the door. "No!" Bella whispered as loudly as she dared and she held onto him fast. "Edward, please! You know you can fight it."

Jacob roared. It was a devastatingly powerful sound, something Edward had not heard before, and it distracted him enough to resist the natural urge to hunt. It was a victorious sound that gave Edward a newfound strength when he needed it most. Jacob's thoughts then confirmed to Edward that he had early success.

_S__ix of them ran when they saw me! That's a personal best!_

"Don't worry Bella," Edward conveyed. "He's win-"

A howl of pain interrupted Edward and he heard something that made him cringe in fear.

_Oh no__!_

The tone of Jacob's thought was frightened and communicated injury.

_T__hey're going to get in._

There was another howl of pain, followed by a very loud thud.

Then the sound cheers and chains.

Hands tried the doors but Bella and Edward held them shut.

Swords poked at the shutters but could not pry them open.

The wagon began to roll forward.

Bella and Edward sat in painful silence and, after awhile, they felt the horses being led around to the right of the road.

Then they were unhitched.

They heard several conversations - men chaining Jacob up, men tending to the horses, men growing frustrated with the impenetrable carriage. But one voice raised above them all and gave a command that caused both vampires to hold one another tightly.

"Throw it off the cliff!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you all for reading Bella Voce, I have had a spike in numbers recently due to the kindness of two people: **

**April is the team captain for Team Bella Voce and was instrumental in helping the team exceed its fundraising goal for the FGB fundraiser. I am honored to have been a part of such a worthy cause. Even though the auction is now closed, you can still support Fandom Gives Back by shopping for FF merchandise online at the zazzle website. The link is available on my Author's page. All profits from the sale of these items are donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand. T****hank you very much, April! And, on a personal note, thank you also for the juice box, oh yeah, and the marshmallows for the little one when we stopped by your home for a visit.**

**I am still writing the FGB outtake but it should be ready sooner rather than later.**

**Sebastien Robichaud whose story, The University Of Edward Masen, inspired me to write in the first place was kind enough to wish my wife a happy birthday in last week's update and also mentioned that she was the Beta for my story. As you might have guessed, it sent a lot of people my way and we have a lot of new readers this week as a result. Welcome to you all and thank you SR for your continued encouragement and support for this story.**

**And seriously, Bily Burke's CD was even better than I could have anticipated. He is a genius!**

**MOG **


	21. Chapter 21: Subtle Reminder

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear…..did not.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One:**

**Subtle Reminder**

The wagon changed direction as several men took up the cheer, "Throw it over!" It then picked up speed as it raced down a grassy hill and Bella knew it was moving in the direction of the cliffs.

Edward relaxed as he listened to the minds of well over a dozen men, not including the ones that dashed away at the sight of Jacob's transformation. He knew that they had no intention of throwing the carriage over the cliff but the only reason he hadn't told Bella yet was because she was going to be sorely disappointed.

_This is the best thing that could happen to us Edward, _Bella thought when she heard the shouted suggestion, _it should drop us into the Atlantic and we can break out once we hit bottom._

It was a sound plan. Edward was impressed at how quickly she strategized but, unfortunately, he knew that they would not escape so easily.

"They are trying to trick us into coming out," Edward whispered. "They assume that someone is in here."

Edward gathered that there were five or six men pushing the coach while another one kept it on course. These men had done this kind of thing before and it was evident that they were enjoying themselves.

Edward could not believe how this was possible given what Jacob did to their would-be cohorts. At least two men must have been killed during his capture but now the rest of them were laughing and cheering, more than certain that their charade would work yet again.

It did not.

Edward delighted as the men, most of them, merely guessed that the coach was empty.

"Last chance!" someone called. He was the leader, his name was Quint, and Edward heard several of the men thinking of how he had never had to give a second warning before.

_Then again_, one of them was thinking, _we don't come across such fortified transport._

"Alright," Quint shouted. "Must be filled with treasure. Let's get it back to camp and pop it open with an axe." This proposal was met with loud cheers and the carriage was hitched back up to its horses. The whole party traveled along the main road for a quarter mile before turning onto a cart path that Bella knew led into a thick grove of trees.

"We might have a chance," she said. She knew she did not have to speak out loud to Edward, but wanted him to hear her voice, optimistic in his ear. "If we're going where I think we are then it will take another hour to get there."

Edward pursed his lips. "That's cutting it a bit close."

"I know," Bella agreed. "But there is a dense canopy and we might just have to let them hack away for a while to stall for time."

"Alright," Edward said. "Good plan. How do you want to go about getting Jacob back?"

They were still holding each other and Edward felt Bella stiffen. "If they killed him…Edward you won't be able to stop me."

The words hung in the black humid air that cocooned the couple. Edward knew that she was telling the truth and resigned himself to that possibility but remained optimistic. "I think he's alright. I hear a low husky breathing ahead of us…it sounds like a bear hibernating."

Bella strained to hear the sound, already Edward's hearing was much keener than her own. "Oh, Edward! That's him." The relief in her hushed voice sounded like the collapse of sorrow itself and Edward took the opportunity to suggest an alternative to murder if Jacob could be recovered.

"I think you could hypnotize them, Bella," Edward offered.

_What?_

"You could make them let Jacob go." It was a smart idea, Bella knew it but that did not solve a much bigger problem after they got their friend back.

"I can't make them simply forget, Edward. That's too much to ask. They will break through the suggestion eventually. We need to come up with something that could explain all this, including Jacob."

"We can't just make them think it was a dream?" Edward asked.

Bella shook her head, "I doubt it. We need something that they might actually accept in real life. Any other way would leave too many unanswered questions."

"I'll listen to them and try to exploit something that could help us," Edward said. "I really do think we could pull this off if we find the right angle to play."

_Damn it, he is adorable when he's right._

Even in the dark, Edward smiled as he heard her inner monologue.

"I'll try it, Edward," Bella said in a measured voice that indicated that there was a caveat to her statement. "I think I can even test the effectiveness before we leave but, if it doesn't work, I don't want an argument from you."

Edward did not say anything.

"I mean it, Edward," she continued. "These people attacked and abducted us and may have almost killed Jacob." Her voice seethed with icy menace. "I will slaughter every last one of them if I have to."

Edward felt sorry for her. "You were a nun, Bella. Do you feel no sympathy?'

"I did," she answered flatly. "It backfired every time."

They trundled along the dirt path kicking up dust which sparkled in the orange sunlight that streamed up from behind them. The men walking in front of and behind them had time to reflect on the loss of their fallen comrades and Edward felt that some of them were profoundly affected.

It was a spontaneous attack, they were gathered together to discuss a raid on a local barony and heard the approaching carriage. Edward should have been able to catch a thought from one or two of them and could have given Jacob a warning but he was distracted by Bella's naked and slick breasts. He did not hear anything that could have served as a warning.

"Do we have an agreement?" Bella wanted to make the arrangements perfectly clear before they boarded. "We try it your way at first but if that doesn't work you will either assist me or stay out of my way."

Edward had no choice but to agree and took the opportunity to relay his utter confidence in her ability to sway them from their current course and maybe even to pursue another line of occupation. "Agreed," he said reluctantly.

As they moved away from the setting sun, Edward listened to their thoughts and found out that they had been taken by surprise at Jacob's display and many of them were planning on going back to town to attend church, if possible.

They thought Jacob was some kind of demon and those who had touched Jacob as they put him in chains were praying as they walked behind the carriage.

This was what Edward was waiting for. They were scared of Jacob already and their religious beliefs could be skewed to explain everything. Edward crafted a smile so big that it made his cheeks almost creak with the strain.

"I have a plan, Bella," Edward whispered excitedly. "And it is going to work." He paused a moment to think through a few more details. "I just hope Jacob doesn't wake up too early and ruin it all."

* * *

Rosalie had Emmett over to the house several times but nothing ever materialized. He was wise but he was impatient. He was clever but he was a brute. And worst of all, he was handsome and he knew it. She enjoyed his company and became a friend but she had all but abandoned any romantic attachments. Emmett was slower to pick up on that part.

When Rosalie beat him at chess the first day he pouted like a toddler until she booted him out of the garden with instructions not to return until he could play better or lose more graciously.

To his credit he came back the next day.

And he lost again, even worse than before if that was possible.

However, he laughed off the loss. When they parted that afternoon he complimented her skills and, although Emmett drew closer and closer to her face with each goodbye, Rosalie still had not kissed the doctor.

Carlisle spoke with his daughter about his colleague one night at the dining room table. Esme watched them and marveled, as she often did during mealtimes, at their similarities.

She preferred Jacob anyway and did not want to speak up, until she had to.

"How many times has Emmett come to call?" Carlisle asked the question just before depositing a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Three times," Rosalie said. "We played chess twice."

"Did you beat him?"

"Of course."

"Do you like him?"

Rosalie paused. She did not want to be impolite but, then again, she'd heard her father speak of the ambitious oaf enough times to know that he would understand. "Not like that."

Carlisle nodded.

"Are you still in love with Jacob?"

Rosalie was surprised at how fast she cried out her answer. "Yes." It was as if she had been waiting for someone to ask the question and she surprised herself again when she answered again. "Yes, I do."

Esme was immensely pleased but remained silent.

"Well, that's settled," Carlisle said. "Are you going to tell him when he returns?"

"No!" He was surprised when both women answered.

Rosalie looked at her father and smiled. "I'll let him squirm a bit first but I'll tell him."

Carlisle looked at both of them and shook his head. "I'll never understand you, ladies." He then leveled each of them with a hard look. He was about to get serious and they both knew it was coming when he put his spoon down.

"They will all outlive us," he said quietly. Carlisle's pale blue eyes sparkled and his platinum blonde hair forfeited a few strands to gravity as they hung down in his face. "Edward, Bella and Jacob will be alive long after they have cried at our graves… and I imagine it will be much harder on them then it will be for us… but I need to know…Are either of you two at all unclear about the need to keep this to ourselves?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Good," he sounded relieved. "I have been making some discrete inquiries at the hospital and many of the doctors have spoken of vampires. Some of them are quite convinced of their existence." The Cullen women looked shocked. "They even think that there is a doctor or nurse at Val de Grace that might be a vampire."

"But isn't that good news?" Rosalie asked. "That people are seeing the truth?"

As always, Carlisle was impressed with her philosophy but shook his head. "Not in this case," he leaned forward and whispered. "There are many who would hunt down and kill a vampire. Some have even boasted that they have done just that."

"You're joking," Rosalie looked like she believed that he was.

"Not at all," Carlisle said. "Doctors are privileged and may explore all manor of private endeavors not granted to those without means." He said this matter-of-factly, not embarrassed at the luxuries he was able to afford for his family. "Several men at the hospital have told me stories of their encounters to the East. Somewhere near Italy."

"Who would do such a thing?" Rosalie demanded.

Carlisle paused a little too long.

A look of true horror slowly crept up Rosalie's face like a spider. "No," she whispered.

Carlisle nodded his head gravely. "Emmett."

* * *

When the coach came to a stop Edward had no choice but to risk a peek outside.

He was relieved to see a very gloomy grove of trees that made it appear as if it was already hours after sunset. The air seemed heavy and moist, like it was in perpetual shade. There was a dug out fire pit that was smoldering and several large rocks and downed trees had been scooted around the wisp of smoke that folded into the leaves overhead.

It was much cooler in the grove and the ground had that slightly mossy feeling, like it had not been exposed to the sun in decades. The vampire couple was quite fortunate.

"It's better than we anticipated," Edward whispered. "I didn't see a hint of sunshine."

"We were lucky they took us East," Bella said. "Even in France, an hour's travel puts a hill behind you."

"Are you ready?" Edward was naked and standing by one of the doors.

"Almost." Bella was undressing. "Are you sure you want me to fly?"

"Yes. We only get one shot at this and I need everyone to see you." Edward was quite serious. "We don't want to miss a single person. You being naked will help sell the story but, more importantly, it will help focus our captors."

"I can't believe we're doing this," Bella laughed.

"I can't believe you agreed." Edward scooted backward so that his bottom touched hers. "Good luck. We go in three…one…two…three!"

Both doors flew open and two naked people stepped out of the carriage, one started singing a hymn in a hauntingly beautiful voice while floating six feet above the leaf strewn forest floor. The other walked over to a great furry beast that was double chained and lying prone.

"I am the angel Gabriel." Edward shouted. "And this is a hell hound. Release him to us and we will take him to the netherworld from whence he came."

_From whence he came?_

It was Bella's turn to speak but Edward's ad-lib made her smirk and her smirk made her smile. She kept singing, barely, and used the grin to enhance the joyful song she chose for the occasion - Take My Life And Let It Be. It was popular at the moment because Bella's acquaintance, Frances R. Havergal, had written it fifteen years earlier, making it a very modern hymn. Actually, she had been the first to sing it and it had also been the last time she was in a church until she brought Edward to Notre Dame.

Bella spun in a circle giving the men a vision of beauty that could only be explained by an angelic presence. She addressed what looked like more than thirty men, all of whom were looking at her with open mouths and eyes that were as big as cannonballs.

"My children," she said. "Do as my brother Gabriel says and release the hound. We will escort him back to where he belongs."

They could both see that their act was working. The men all had that familiar dazed look in their eyes and several immediately made their way to Jacob to free him from his bonds.

Quint was just as foggy as the rest but asked the naked woman in front of him how it came that the beast was driving the coach.

"He overpowered us," she answered him, prepared for the question. "We were trapped and you saved us. You will all be rewarded in heaven…as long as you stop stealing!"

The men looked ashamed, like bad dogs. Bella did not let them off the hook just yet. "You have all sinned but since your sin has saved two archangels I forgive you all." Many of the men crossed themselves and most bowed deeply, making it the only time any of them broke eye contact with her. "You must now turn your life over completely to God and let him guide you away from the destructive path that you are on."

Many of the men now fell to their knees praying, including Quint. The men had unchained Jacob and Edward picked up the unconscious giant wolf and walked him over to the carriage.

Jacob was breathing evenly and Edward wondered briefly if he felt as heavy when Jacob carried him to the hospital, and then to the theatre. His fur was hot on Edward's shoulder but very soft. Edward indulged himself a moment to pet him as he walked.

Bella was so excited to see that it was almost over that she almost forgot the most important part. "Speak of this to no one," she ordered quickly. "You are a brotherhood now and you must protect the world from the hell hounds by never mentioning them again. For that is what brings them into your world."

Edward deposited Jacob onto one of the cushions and closed both doors. When he climbed up onto the bench the horses shuffled their feet, anticipating an order. Edward touched the lead horse on her hip with Jacob's whip as Bella drifted down and stood on top of the carriage as it sped away. Her feet were planted shoulder width apart as she raised her arms over her head and commanded them one last time.

"Go in peace to love and serve the Lord."

Edward drove the coach as far away as he dared before pulling over to check on Jacob.

"Why are you both naked?" Jacob stepped out with a big grin on his face. Ironically he was also naked, having changed back to human form in the coach.

"Edward's idea," Bella explained to him. They were now both rummaging through their bags and looking for something to wear. "He figured that we would be more believable as angels if we weren't wearing wrinkled clothes."

"Are you alright?" Edward caught the trousers Bella threw him as she happened across his bag first.

"I'm fine," he said. "Shot with an arrow in the heart which hurt like hell and distracted me enough for one of them to hit me in the head with the flat edge of his sword. I woke up when they were taking the chains off of me. When I saw you, I figured that playing dead was the best option I had."

"It was," Edward said. "Well done, I didn't even hear you thinking."

Bella laughed from inside an orange dress that she was in the process of pulling over her head. "That's not surprising."

"I liked your little act," Jacob laughed. "It was very uplifting."

Bella popped her head out just in time to roll her eyes.

"We better get going," Edward said. "I want to be away from this place."

Looking up revealed only a lush vegetation, not even a peek at the sky. Jacob took the whip and kept on the path knowing that it would come out in a vineyard nearby. Bella sat next to him on the bench and Edward sat cross legged on the roof of the carriage, one of his favorite perches by then.

"I'm very glad that we got out of there without further bloodshed," Edward said happily. "But are you sure you're quite healed Jacob?"

"I will need another day," Jacob replied. "But I feel fine… and I share your sentiment, Edward." He lowered his voice. "I didn't mean to kill those men."

"We know," Bella said, her hand finding a hard knot in his shoulder that she began kneading. "The rest were all pretty taken with me. I think they'll convert."

Both men chuckled. Bella was legitimately unaware of how beautiful she was. The bandits had indeed been taken with her. Several of them also had a hard time reconciling their strong attraction to a celestial being.

"I think we need to tell Jasper about this," Edward shared. "He will be glad to know that Bella's hypnosis worked so well."

"My money is on him being angry that we didn't kill everybody," Jacob responded humorlessly.

"Me too," Bella said.

Edward smiled down at his folded hands and listened to the leaves rub against one another. He had a feeling that Jasper would see her success for what it was, a powerful weapon that she had not fully developed.

_Bella could command a whole army_, Edward thought, _and all she has to do is get naked._

Bella and Jacob looked back when he chuckled again.

* * *

Three days later and Paris was stretched out before the three travelers like a puddle of stars. It was a touch past midnight and Bella had flown off to start heating water for a much needed bath. Jacob and Edward sat side by side on the bench as they drove down into the shadows and became one of the sparkling movements within.

It was good to be home.

Edward stayed with Jacob while he unhitched the horses and helped him fetch fresh water. When they were finished, the two men walked into the lobby and shook hands.

"I was planning on looking in on your sister and your folks tomorrow, should I set up a dinner?" Jacob asked.

"Um…what day is it?"

"Wednesday…does it matter?"

"No," Edward laughed. "Just wondering. Dinner would be fine but I am more concerned with catching up with Jasper."

"I'm going to see him right now," Jacob said. "He should have fresh pouches of blood and you two still need to feed tonight."

"You are taking care of me just like you take care of her," Edward spoke with gratitude in his heart.

"Yes, I am," Jacob said. "And it's a good thing I do."

"Thank you for taking us to San Sebastian, Jacob. It was the best few weeks of my life."

"I wish I could say the same," Jacob said honestly, "but I think I have a good song…that I'll never work up the nerve to sing to Rosalie."

"We'll do it together remember?" Edward told Jacob. "I'll sing a light high harmony and it will sound brilliant."

Jacob began walking up the grand staircase in the lobby. "We'll talk more about it tomorrow. I'll bring whatever Jasper has collected when I return."

"See you then."

Edward made his way down to their bedroom and once again was greeted with the smell of steaming water. He thought back to the last time they took a bath in that room, the night before they left for Spain. It seemed like years ago and he was glad to wash off the travel dust.

Jacob came down the stairs an hour later with what looked like two big whiskey jugs. "I forgot," he said. "We took all the water skins with us. Jasper had to improvise."

The two vampires drank their fill and Edward ended up giving his last third to Bella. "I took the liberty of telling Jasper what you two did for me," Jacob told them. "He was impressed but alarmed and would like to speak with the two of you sometime tomorrow if possible."

"That would be fine," Bella agreed.

"I thought so," Jacob nodded his head. "I'm going to see if we can all meet at the Cullens for a late dinner."

"I'm sure my mother would adore that," Edward smiled. "She probably hasn't cooked for a group in a month."

"I'll head over there when everybody wakes up," Jacob replied. "What are you two doing tonight?"

"Not much now," Bella said, leaning back on her bed and patting her stomach. "Would you like to take a bath, Jacob?"

"Um…yeah, that would be great." Jacob ducked into the washroom and called over his shoulder. "I'll fix these curtains tomorrow."

Edward laughed. "I should be fixing them," he said to Bella as he climbed onto the bed but not before he grabbed a book he heard her thinking about and handed it to her.

_Thank you._

"I like _Candide_ as well," Edward remarked.

"_Voltaire's _best work," Bella replied.

"What is it you are looking for in there?"

"I'll know it when I find it," Bella said.

Edward rested his head in her lap and listened to her mind as she skimmed the first few chapters of Candide. When she reached the fourth chapter she slowed down. She was getting close, and then she read out loud. "Men... must have corrupted nature a little, for they were not born wolves, and they have become wolves. God did not give them twenty-four-pounder cannons or bayonets, and they have made bayonets and cannons to destroy each other."

Edward waited for her to comment.

"It seems to me that those men we encountered today were the real wolves," she said softly. "And when they saw Jacob, they thought _he _was the demon."

Edward replied with one of his favorite quotes from the same book. "If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others?"

Bella, who had read Candide more times than Edward had blown out birthday candles, was readying a retort when Jacob emerged from the washroom. His hair was wet and pulled together at his back and he was wrapped at the waist in a soft white towel he had laundered himself before they all left for Spain. "You know," he said with a wicked grin, "Voltaire talks about vampires too, Bella."

"Where?" Bella accepted the implied literary challenge.

"Chapter Sixteen, of course," he said then closed his eyes and recited. "If we do not exert the right of eating our neighbor, it is because we have other means of making good cheer."

They both laughed.

Alice came into the room just then, pushing the heavy wardrobe out of her way as she bounded into the room. "Welcome home, everybody!" She had big hugs for everyone and, when Edward held her a little longer than usual, she took it as a subtle reminder that he was still waiting for her to make a confession to Bella about her deceit.

_Keep your pants on Edward, _Alice thought. _You were gone for almost a month!_

They caught Alice up on their adventures and then she left to see Jasper, who was waiting for her at Notre Dame.

Jacob said good night as well and breezed up the stairs. He went to his room, dressed himself and went through the treasures Bella and Edward had collected. They amassed a fortune in Spanish galleons alone, but also brought up some interesting little gold and silver statues. Some were clearly Siamese cats and others were mythical creatures Jacob had been surprised to see were the subject of such fine craftsmanship. He would have to find out what they were later in the week. He knew a Dutch smith who might be able to help him.

When the sun stabbed through his little square window, he was working with his magnets. Jacob had developed a number of uses that had even gotten him a flurry of letters from the new world and an invitation to visit Thomas Edison at his estate in Fort Meyers, Florida.

He stood up and stretched, listening to his neck creak as he turned his head from side to side until the stiffness was gone. Then he went down to rouse his horses, Bree and Rebecca. They would have loved to rest all day but he assured them that the day's tasks would be light and that he would give each of them a bath that afternoon.

They had done well and he fully intended to treat them both to some fine cuisine in addition to a rub down. He hitched them together and then to the carriage, which he thought could also use a wash, and drove over to the pale yellow horseshoe shaped house he had not seen in more than three weeks.

It was Wednesday, September 16th and Paris already confessed an early autumn. Jacob watched as hot air steamed from his horse's nostrils like factory smoke and tiny kisses of cold air landed on his round and reddened cheeks.

Esme was in the kitchen mixing chopped fruit in a bowl with crème and sugar when Jacob pulled up around back. If Edward had been there he would have heard her first thought.

_I better cook some more bacon._

Jacob's knock was interrupted by the door being flung inward and Esme leaping out to hug Jacob like he was a long lost son.

"Welcome back, Jacob," she said to him. "_We've_ missed you."

Jacob's eyebrows shot up at the emphasis in her statement but he did not get the chance to inquire further as Carlisle strolled in just then, humming something that sounded like a nursery rhyme. He looked up and greeted Jacob warmly.

"Jacob, my boy! Nice to see you! How's Edward?"

"He and Bella are fine," Jacob answered. "Bella found these in a shipwreck and thought you might like some." Jacob handed over a small cloth sack that tied at the top. It was heavy, obviously filled with coins. Carlisle did not recognize the early Spanish galleon for what it was, but gold was gold so he knew its value was considerable.

"I can't accept these," Carlisle said, attempting to hand the bag back.

Jacob held his hands up. "They found thousands of them, Dr. Cullen. Edward feels just terrible about what he did to your piano…"

"His piano," Esme interjected.

"…and this small bag of coins is enough to buy another house."

"Well, now I really can't accept it." Carlisle said, taking a step forward. To Esme, it looked as if her husband was threatening the gigantic man with a purse…and winning.

Jacob opened his mouth to say something when they all heard footsteps above the adjacent dining room.

Esme, not wanting added tension took matters into her own hands, taking the bag out or Carlisle's hands and tucking it in her apron. "Please tell her thank you, and invite the two of them to dinner tonight would you?"

Jacob grinned. "They accept and will be here at nine o'clock."

Esme stopped mid-stride to the stove and turned back to Jacob. "You are invited as well young man."

Jacob laughed loudly at being called a young man. "I know."

Rosalie heard Jacob's laugh as she entered the parlor. Her heart did a back flip and her hand flew to her mouth. She had only heard him laugh and already she was flush and flustered and felt as dizzy as a loon. She took a step back then turned and ran upstairs.

She was not going to see Jacob without looking her best!

Rosalie came into the kitchen like a hurricane and, as she leapt into Jacob's arms, he felt like he was the one being held. She took one or two seconds to look deep into his syrup colored eyes before placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I want to love you for as long as I can." She said this as if they were the only two people in the room. As if they were the only two people on Earth. She hugged him fiercely and wept with joy as his warm arms encircled her.

Jacob was stunned and looked over at Carlisle who smiled, shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

Esme burst into tears. She brought both hands to her face but peeked through her fingers at the couple as they held each other.

_I really need to make more bacon._

They all ate breakfast together and it was then that Carlisle told Jacob that he had something very important to discuss with, the kids, as he put it. He did not elaborate as he did not want to repeat himself and had only a few more minutes before he had to leave for Val de Grace.

Rosalie and Jacob spent the morning together in the garden, and up on the roof, and she accompanied him back to the theatre where she assisted him with the horses. She told him that Emmett had been over but that he was a mere child and held no interest for her beyond his companionship, which she admitted was preferable to solitude.

She also told him that Emmett was a vampire hunter. Jacob accepted the news stoically but knew the information would make their arrangement with Jasper at the hospital that much more dangerous for them all.

Jacob gave her several Spanish galleons of her own and told her about the amazing but modest San Sebastian. He did not mention anything about what he wrote while he was there. Jacob still was not sure if he would ever gather the gumption to sing the song for her, but he wanted to so badly that he thought he might burst with words.

Rosalie stayed with Jacob the entire afternoon at the theatre. She adored his room, which she had never seen before. She sat on the bench that surrounded the healthy fig tree and removed all of her clothes.

"I don't have a bed," Jacob said timidly but with a wry smile.

"You have a wall." Rosalie responded.

That was all she said, that was decipherable, for the rest of the hour.

* * *

When Bella woke up that evening, Rosalie was given a tour of the under chambers. She had no idea that there was such a lavish bedroom under the stage and absolutely fell in love with the bathtub.

She greeted her brother warmly and kissed him on the cheek when she first came down the spiral staircase. "Thank you for saving Jacob." She turned to hug Bella. "Both of you…thank you for bringing him back to me."

"Did he tell you what happened then?" Bella asked.

"Every detail," Rosalie said then fixed Edward with a stare, "Gabriel."

They all laughed at that and the girls visited, curled up on the bed while Jacob and Edward reattached the curtains between the washroom and the sleeping area.

_Edward, can you hear me?_

Jacob was working right in front of Edward but did not acknowledge that he had just mentally asked for Edward's attention. Edward bowed his head slightly.

_Carlisle has some information that you and Bella will be shocked by. And I think Jasper should be in on it as well. We can't trust Dr. McCarty, Edward. He knows that there is a vampire at Val de Grace and he has killed them in the past._

Edward masked his utter shock well but that was mostly due to the fact that he was facing away from Bella and Rosalie.

"Hey, Rose?" Edward called. "Do you think Mom would mind if we invited Jasper to dinner tonight?"

"She wouldn't, but Dad might," she answered. "He has some private things to discuss with you."

"I know he does, and I think Jasper should hear them."

Understanding dawned on Rosalie's face, she looked at Bella. "He knows about you two doesn't he?"

"Yes," Bella replied.

Rosalie turned back to her brother. "As long as he's a friend of yours and knows what he knows, I think Dad will be relieved to have someone there he can really talk to."

Edward suppressed a grin. "I think Jasper might feel the same way."

Dinner that night was chicken prepared in a white wine marinade; crisp red peppers stuffed with cranberry cream cheese and sliced bread lathered in a spun honey butter that had been a Cullen family recipe for generations.

Jasper met them at the theatre and, with Rosalie's help, they pieced together what Carlisle would say. Edward wanted to be prepared and Rosalie did not see the harm in telling him what she had told Jacob as they had spooned on the sun baked roof of her house.

When they arrived, Jasper quietly took Carlisle aside and told him what they had rehearsed. It was only for his protection that Jasper did not tell Carlisle the truth - that things were far worse then even he had supposed.

"Carlisle," Jasper led him into the dining room, as everyone was still gathered in the kitchen and on the back porch. "I must tell you that I have been aware of Bella's condition and have been acting as her personal physician for the past three years. I am aware that there are other vampires in Paris as well as hunters who would drag them kicking and screaming into the sun if they only knew where to find one." He paused for a brief moment. "Rosalie told me a bit about why you called them to dinner and I had hoped that I could avail upon your hospitality to allow me to join you as I have similar concerns about the state of the hospital."

"Did you know where Edward was the night he was shot?" Carlisle asked pointedly.

Silence ate Jasper like a banana cream pie.

"Um…"

Jasper had not anticipated this line of questioning. He was so focused on keeping his own immortal condition a secret that he stumbled into admitting a past omission, if not an outright lie, to his friend. It was, however, just the sort of diversion that would all but guarantee his true motive would not be revealed. He looked directly into Carlisle's eyes.

"I had a feeling that Jacob would take him to Bella," he confirmed, "and when I got there he had already been…transformed. Vampires sleep for the first day of their life, like hibernation, and sometimes when they wake up they've gone insane. If that had happened, I would have had to put him down and I feigned ignorance to buy us some time."

Carlisle did not smile. "That's almost exactly what Jacob said." He held out his hand and Jasper took it. "I understand what you had to do, Jasper. I would have done the same. I'm glad you're here."

They went back inside and the reason for Jasper's knowledge of any of them in the first place was never investigated. Carlisle did not suspect a thing and Edward was standing by if he did. The backup plan was to come clean despite putting Carlisle further at risk, making him the only human at Val de Grace who would know about Jasper. It did not come to that and Edward could tell as soon as he walked in to the dining room with Bella on his arm.

They had to bring up an extra chair for Jasper and he sat next to Jacob and Rosalie near the window. Bella and Edward sat across from them, looking over their shoulders at the dwindling garden, now dipped in rich moonlight. Esme and Carlisle sat at either end of the table, Esme closer to the kitchen for incidental trips.

"There are a few doctors at the hospital, Emmett McCarty among them, who have hunted vampires to the East." Carlisle spoke seriously, but he was palming a sweet red pepper and eyeing it lovingly. "Furthermore, they suspect that there is a member of the hospital staff who is also a vampire."

"What do they site as evidence?" Edward asked.

"They haven't said anything concrete yet," Carlisle answered. "I think they are still sizing me up. They're quite a paranoid bunch."

"Who else?" Jasper asked.

"Dr. Renata, Dr. Santiago, and Vladimir."

"Vladimir, huh?" Jasper mused. "I liked him."

Carlisle looked at Edward. "Do you think I should play along, to get information?"

"Absolutely," Edward told him, "and you need to get Jasper into their circle as well."

"Well that shouldn't be hard," Carlisle mused. "Emmett is their leader and he looks up to me…"

"Follows you around like a puppy is what he does," Esme added.

Edward leaned forward. "Dad, I want you to make them believe that you are with them and that you will help in any way you can. You need to bring up Jasper as soon as you can and tell them he can be trusted."

Carlisle nodded his head. "Maybe I'll even invite them over here for a game of cards."

Edward heard Jasper, Bella, and Jacob all think the same thing.

_NO!_

"I don't know if we need to go that far, Dad," he said. "Just keep them close at the hospital and tell Jasper everything you hear. He'll bring the information to us."

Rosalie cleared her throat. Edward had already been treated to her forthcoming statement and applauded his sister's intuition. "Should I also keep close to Emmett? Maybe he will confide in me."

Everyone looked at Jacob.

"I don't want you involved," he said finally.

"Too late," Rosalie shot back.

Carlisle spoke next. "I think Rosalie actually has the best chance of learning their habits. As long as she can get him to talk about vampires in the first place."

"Don't bring it up," Edward instructed her. "He will brag. Just give him time."

Rosalie looked at Jacob. "I won't do it if you don't want me to," she assured him.

"I trust you," Jacob responded thickly, "and more importantly, I think your father is right. You are in a position to hear very sensitive things that even we won't be privy to."

"It's settled then," Rosalie stated with finality. "I'll invite him over tomorrow and get a little closer."

Jacob's eyes found his hands.

"Not that close," Rosalie whispered in his ear.

They spoke of lighter things after that. Music, Spain, and the early change of the season. Edward had been deep in thought for much of the day and wondered if it was too soon to reveal his inevitable conclusion to everyone. He had spoken to Bella, of course, and she had agreed that they had little choice but at least a little time.

And since it would take some time, and since it was, after all, inevitable, he stood up and raised his glass.

"…And no doubt it is there that everything is for the best;" he declared, "for it must be admitted that one might lament a little over the physical and moral happenings of our own world."

"What does that mean?" Rosalie could still tire easily of her brother's theatrics.

"It's Voltaire," Bella said standing up, excited as a bunny. "And it means that Edward and I are moving to New York City."

**

* * *

****Notes: **

**I would like to welcome all my new readers…but they are all still on chapter four or something….boy are they in for a surprise, huh? Anyhow since I was in the mood to thank somebody I would like to thank you for reading. **

**I would now like to recommend two stories that I am currently reading: **

"**The Trackers" by Readingmama. It is set in the 1930's and is about a detective agency run by Edward and James. I like the authentic lingo used, and it's a bright and ****witty** **tale. **

**The next story is "Surrendered" by EvieKinz. It is a bit more abrupt in nature but nevertheless is a story that has surprised me with its pull. I think this Bella is a fascinating character study, and Edward is incorrigible. Bella is a child psychologist and Edward is taking his little sister, Alice, to see her. I warn you it's brazen but also funny. **

**MOG**


	22. Chapter 22: Conspicuous Smile

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear wrote a song about a blind skunk that fell in love with a fart.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two:**

**Conspicuous Smile**

_Edward is going to leave... _

He heard Esme's thoughts as soon as Bella told them they were moving away and Edward quickly leaned forward, taking her hand over the table. "It's going to take months, maybe even a year, before we can go to New York, Mother."

"Really?" she sniffed. "That would certainly make things easier."

_Speaking of making things easier_…

Edward nodded slightly at Bella's unfinished thought. "I'm glad you feel that way…and I was hoping you would help with a very important matter."

"What can we do for you, son?" Carlisle asked.

Edward was still holding his mother's hand. Their arms were between the plate of cream cheese stuffed red peppers and a half full crystal pitcher of water. He turned to his father and made his proposition. "We are no longer able to function in the business world, that is a daytime world, and we would like to send you to New York to purchase a building for us."

"Do you know what building?" Carlisle asked.

"Not yet," Bella answered. "Like Edward said, this could take a while to orchestrate and we wouldn't even send you until after Christmas."

Rosalie was interested in Bella's intentions. "When you say building, do you mean theatre? Are you planning to perform in New York?"

"Not just I," Bella said winking at her and gesturing to Edward with her head. "I think your brother could hold a stage with his voice, but he likes to hide behind his piano."

Jacob laughed hard at that joke and immediately offered his own opinion on Edward's professional career. "Maybe you could be a magician, Edward." Jacob had to hold his chest and bobbed up and down in his chair with silent laughter as the line surfaced before he spoke it. "You've already made two pianos disappear." He punctuated the jibe with a smile that pushed his cheeks up surrounding his nose. He looked around the table, clearly proud.

Edward, who had heard the remark twice, pursed his lips. He was deeply embarrassed by his self labeled tantrum in the parlor and had even considered gathering up a few worry chickens before coming over to the house, but he was determined to exhibit self control by coping.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. It was funny, but tacky, so she rewarded Jacob with a leg squeeze under the table while following up the eye roll with a head shake above it.

Bella's mouth fell open but her eyebrows shot down. She stabbed Jacob with a stern look but turned her body towards Edward. It was the perfect blend of outrage and concern and it made Jacob almost regret the effort. Almost, because some people appreciated his humor. Carlisle and Esme both hooted with laughter.

For a moment, their titters were the only sound in the room and it encouraged a sputtered giggle from Rosalie. This gave Jacob new hope and he nodded toward Edward. "They could call you Presto Piano."

Edward smiled freely and the conversation turned to the condition of the parlor. "Do you think I could get you to please reconsider allowing us to remodel your front room?" Bella asked Esme and Carlisle.

Jacob cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I forget to mention it, Bella, but I took the liberty of coming to an arrangement with the Cullens over breakfast this morning."

"Oh…well that's great." She was clearly pleased but plainly curious.

"I gave them some of the galleons you collected in Spain," he elaborated.

"How many?" Bella trusted Jacob's instincts but wanted to make sure it was a lopsided exchange.

"I'd say it was about thirty coins," he replied, "a pouch full."

"Thirty!" Bella was not happy with that number.

Both Esme and Carlisle, fresh off their gale of giggles were now uncomfortable as they feared that they had accepted too much money. Carlisle was prepared to return the gift, as was Esme, but Bella continued before either of them could so much as inhale. "We must have collected ten times that much!" She turned to Edward, who nodded his head in agreement. "I want them to have all of it," Bella told Jacob.

Four people spoke at once.

No one heard a thing.

When everyone took in a breath to try again Edward held up his finger. The room fell to his wishes and he spoke slowly, forming his thoughts as he went. "Mom, Dad, what we are asking you to do for us may take months and that would mean taking a leave of absence from the hospital. You deserve to be paid for your services, and you deserve to be paid up front."

"Hey wait," Rosalie wanted in on the action. "Can I work for you as well? I would like to make my own money, no offense, Papa."

Carlisle was anything but offended.

"You are welcome to accompany us, Rose," Carlisle said, "and we will even split the money Bella and Edward offers us."

Rosalie looked happy with this statement but then looked over at Jacob, "Are you going with us?"

"I can't." he answered. "I have to attend to Bella's business investments here in Paris before we go ourselves."

Rosalie tapped her chin. "So my choices are to stay here with you and lead on a vampire hunter, or go to New York and get paid to buy stuff for Bella?..."

"Actually you can do both," Bella pointed out. "Like Edward said, it could and will take months just to get to the point where we'd send you over there."

"Yes," Edward picked up the thread. "We are taking our time and making smart decisions before we go to America, but I fear that it will still require us to confront these doctors before too long."

"Let's see how serious they are first," Jasper suggested. "Emmett is the type of guy to exaggerate his exploits."

"He better not!" Rosalie said.

"Not about you, Rose," Jacob said. "He just means that maybe things aren't as bad as they seem."

"Oh they're bad all right," Jasper remarked. "Those men are not to be underestimated."

"I don't think anyone will make that mistake, Jasper," Edward offered, "and I think that as long as we are living here we should arm ourselves with information. But I also think our kind has worn out its welcome in this country."

"He's right," Bella said. "I can feel that's it's time to move on."

Edward could hear that his mother still deeply regretted that this all had to happen. It seemed to deprive her of her son.

He did not blame her and, given his options as a mortal, he still was not convinced that he wanted to leave the people who raised him only to miss countless chances to have them in his life.

Esme briefly considered moving to America as well and Edward thought it sounded like a fine idea. They discussed that and many other options but, in the end, it would all depend on what they could find and when they found it.

After dinner, everyone went into the garden. It was only lit by the dining room and parlor windows since thick black clouds were gathering above their heads but it was a thankfully warm night and they wanted to take advantage of it.

They continued to talk about New York and Bella told them that she was hoping to find a much bigger theatre there. "I would like to produce bigger shows," she explained. "There were lavish sets, huge casts and a twenty piece orchestra. In '83 I was in the second production of Carmen at the Opera Comique just before I opened the Theatre. I saw the premiere in '75 of course, and loved it. I even met Georges Bizet." Bella was rambling, "Anyway, I want to do something like that."

"We were there," Esme recollected with fondness and excitement. "We attended one of the performances. We even took the children. Do you remember, Rosalie?"

"I sure do," she answered. "It was awful." She put a hand to her mouth, "I mean…not you Bella…I'm sure you were great…I just…I was young."

"I thought it was brilliant!" Edward exclaimed. "It was the moment I knew I wanted to play music. What part did you play?"

"I played Frasquita," Bella answered while trying to recall a young Edward's face in a past audience.

"We were all in the same room together sixteen years ago," Carlisle said, his tone declaring his surprise. "Except for you, Jacob. Where were you back then?"

Jacob and Rosalie had settled next to one another on the curved stone gargoyle bench and Jacob looked up at the tree that hovered over his head like a vulture. "I was living in my boyhood home in Los Montesinos." He spoke slowly, like he was telling a story. "It sits on what was once the most important Roman road in Spain, the Via Augusta. It connected Rome to Cadiz."

"Isn't that citrus farmland down there?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, sir." Jacob nodded. "We had several dozen groves."

"That's a lot," Carlisle remarked. "What kind of trees did you plant?"

"Orange."

* * *

During the discussion in the garden, Edward quietly walked back inside his old home and through the parlor. The piano had been removed and now all that remained were two large holes in the floor where the front legs had been driven violently through the wood and two smaller holes near the window where the back legs sank a few inches. The damage did not appear too bad with the piano gone, the room merely required some floor repairs.

Edward hoped his parents would do something else with the space now that he would not be able to teach lessons in the room usually soaked in sunlight. He had contacted his students when he and Bella returned from Spain and has resumed lessons at the theatre, usually on weekdays. He enjoyed the time with the bright girls and they never suspected that he had become immortal with the past few months. He even found he could instruct them better once he could hear their thoughts.

When he walked up the stairs to his former room, Edward was not expecting the kind of emotional jolt that he received. It was the sight of Bella's bedspread - the one she had carried him home in on his last night as a human. It had been sitting undisturbed on his bed exactly the way he left it.

Edward picked it up and pulled it to his nose and smelled Bella. Her scent was sweet but natural and earthen, like cinnamon. It was a welcome, calming influence as his eyes prickled with the threat of despair at his lost innocence. He walked around the room with the bedspread like a child with his security blanket. He began picking up items that he was relieved to see still held some importance to him.

He had a box made of dark oiled wood which he kept his sheet music in, he picked it up and began placing several boyhood treasures in it. There was a broken pocket watch that had belonged to his father. Edward had insisted that he be allowed to keep it despite the hopeless damage it endured at the hands of an unforgiving mud puddle and a careless doctor in a hurry. There was also a small cloth that Rosalie had embroidered as a test when she first took up the hobby. It was designed with just a simple lily but, at age twelve, she had been pleased enough with it to give it as a gift to her younger brother. Edward, two years her junior, accepted it begrudgingly but had traced the flower's form countless times over the years as he grew up.

He found several playbills to shows he had attended and put them in the box as well, realizing that if he continued to collect them he would end up with quite a large collection.

At some point, Esme had given him the small baby spoon she fed him with and it was also added to the assembled possessions, even though there would never be a child of his own to pass it along to. It clinked against some skeleton keys Edward had been fascinated with. He had tried using them on every lock he came across in his home but he never found them mates.

Finally, he plucked a large bullet from inside his dresser. He had found it on the street only the year before and absently brought it home.

Edward did not place it in the box. Instead, he threw it away.

"Edward?" Esme was standing in the doorway. "I was wondering where you had gotten off to."

"The last time I was in this room I was just a boy," Edward spoke.

"Aren't you still just a boy?" Esme was asking a serious question.

"I don't think so, Mother."

"Oh, but I do." Esme countered. "You are still only eighteen years old, Edward. Granted, you have had a very trying year, but you're still so very young."

Edward thought of how long Bella and Jacob had lived, and how much they had seen already. "I guess I am," he allowed and sat down on the bed. The bedspread had been draped over one shoulder as he roamed around the room. He looked like Cesar as Esme sat next to him.

"I wanted to ask you a question," she began. "It's about you and Bella."

"What is it?" Edward had a feeling he knew what she was going to say, and not just because he heard what she was going to say.

"Well…If you are moving to New York, I don't have much time left with you. And I don't expect any grandchildren now..." Esme stopped, the statement catching her off guard. Edward knew that she spoke the words as she thought them and the reality thundered into her heart right in front of him.

"And…" she was determined to continue, but could only raise her voice as a whisper, "…I just wanted to see the two of you get married before you go."

Edward pulled her into a loving embrace. Of course, he had been thinking those same things all night and needed the hug as much as she did. "I was planning on asking Bella to marry me on Christmas Eve," he told her. "We will make wedding arrangements while you are in New York and get married when you return. We won't leave for America until we are man and wife."

Esme sniffed for the second time that evening and smiled, then frowned. "Wait a minute, are you saying that I'll miss out on planning a wedding? Rosalie too? Oh no. No, no." Esme stood up. "She will need us too much."

"She'll be fine mom." Edward stood as well. "She has Alice."

"Dr. Whitlock's girlfriend?"

"Haven't you met her?" Edward asked.

"Not yet," she said. "Is she any good?"

"I imagine that she was born to plan weddings," Edward said humorlessly, but smiling just the same.

"Well, do you think I could help plan in secret right away before you ask her?" Esme asked hopefully.

"I don't know where she would want to hold it," Edward admitted, "or what any of her preferences might be."

"Why don't you just read her mind?" Esme asked.

"It doesn't work like that, Mom. She has to think it on her own. I can't go in and get what I want."

"Are you sure?"

Edward was speechless.

"Even if you can't, you could get her talking about weddings with her friend and listen in," Esme suggested.

"You're devious, Mama."

"Does that mean I can help?"

"I would love your help, Mama."

"Rosalie's too?"

"Aw, I don't know about that." Edward did not like these odds. He had been outvoted by those two women all his life.

"I promise she will behave."

"I get final approval?" Edward clarified, although it sounded more like he was asking permission.

"Of course."

"Alright then," he said with a grin that barely hinted to his apprehension. "You both can help."

She was still thanking him with her thoughts an hour later as he prepared to leave with Bella and Jacob. Jacob pulled Rosalie aside and asked her to meet him at the theatre the following afternoon. She readily agreed and they settled on the time of three o'clock. Jacob now felt the weight of the deadline but, in a way, it also comforted him. He was always better under pressure.

* * *

Jacob and Edward went over the song a few times that night and the next day they rehearsed from one o'clock on. Jacob was marvelous, but a nervous wreck.

"You know you don't have to do this," Bella said to him. "You don't need to win her back. You already have her."

"That," Jacob reasoned with a smile, "is exactly why I need to do it."

The romantic in Edward leapt at his friend's words and he was very pleased with Jacob's mysterious lyrics and haunting melody. Although Edward's accompaniment would be minimal during the performance, his voice leant some much needed richness and depth to the song.

Bella and Alice snuck into one of the boxes and sat quietly listening to the two men's voices tangle together in the big room, serenading them with a dance that Edward wished they all could see the way he did.

Jacob's voice was lower, less controlled but that was good in Edward's opinion. Emotion leaking out was something Edward encouraged as they rehearsed. The ribbon of color that generated from the sound Jacob was making was dark purple to Edward and it turned slowly to white as the sound wave thinned out.

Edward's own voice appeared green, the same color of his eyes.

When they all heard Rosalie knock on the lobby door, Edward took Jacob's arm. "I'm going to start playing as soon as I see you two up there so you don't have time to attempt small talk."

"Good idea," Jacob said.

Jacob left the pit and, knowing he was being watched by Bella and Alice, he put a finger to his lips as he strode up the aisle. The lobby was a cool tomb of shadows by the afternoon and, to Rosalie, Jacob looked like he swam out of the shade to open the door.

"Hello Little Spoon."

"Hello Big Spoon."

"Would you please allow me to escort you to your private box?"

"MY private box?"

Jacob smiled. "Bella has given it to you," he explained. "It is yours until they leave for New York."

"Are you going with them when they move?" She asked the question while they were still standing in the doorway, letting the river's breeze skip between them.

"Not unless you go with me," he responded sincerely and took her by the hand. He walked next to her as they climbed the stairs that lead to the top row of boxes, the light booth and Jacob's room.

As they walked through the door and between the heavy curtains that dressed the back of each box Rosalie whispered to Jacob. "Is there going to be a show?"

She was answered with the sound of the piano as it began playing. It was an old fashioned sound, sweeping and dewy. She sat down immediately but Jacob remained standing. He looked down at her and with a tremble in his lower lip he sang,

**I am a memory, I am the past**

**I am a candle that got blown out too fast**

Jacob's eyes were closed, and he used one hand to steady himself, convinced that he could go toppling over the balcony. Rosalie could hear that in addition to Jacob's kind and mature voice her brother, who was obviously playing the piano, added his tenor to Jacob's words. Together, they sounded like the first minute of a spring rain.

**I am a silhouette, I am a dream**

**I am several variations on a theme**

Thoughtful, but with a touch of humor - just the sort of thing Rosalie might like. She sat with her hands in her lap, gazing up at Jacob. She was very proud of him and wanted badly to still his lower lip with a kiss. Since she couldn't it merrily continued jittering up and down like the last coin in a big pocket.

**Conspicuous smile when I look at you**

**My soul is flooded with stars**

**Conspicuous laugh when I remember to**

**Pull myself back from Mars**

Rosalie liked the song very much already. She and Jacob had a wonderful time under Mars in Versailles and she blushed at the memory. Jacob licked his lips and lowered his head, ready for the next line. He was concentrating hard, determined to present a stirring rendition of his first song.

**I am an afterthought, I am an object traced**

**I might fade away but never be erased.**

Rosalie could sense a certain amount of pain for Jacob as he sang this line and she realized that he was doing more than professing his love for her. He was letting her into every corner of his world. Right down to his greatest fears and deepest desires.

**I am a riverbed, I am a frame**

**I am a newborn baby without a name**

She was astounded at his level of introspection as well as his elegant and warm voice. Jacob was an artist and his heart told a story she wanted to hear for the rest of her life.

**Conspicuous smile when I look at you**

**My soul is flooded with stars**

**Conspicuous laugh when I remember to**

**Pull myself back from Mars**

Rosalie could have sworn that she heard female voices join Edward's on the chorus that time but it was very subtle. Jacob seemed to relax a little bit, he was almost finished and he was happy with his performance thus far.

It should be noted however that his primary objective was not to get the hiccups or forget any words.

**I am an audience, I am a minor chord**

**Behind a melody that's never been explored**

Bella had accused Edward of helping Jacob with that line when she first heard it but both men has sworn that it was Jacob's creation. He had become a student of the audience as a whole during his time at the theatre and found them to be much more complex than the sum of its members. He felt that the audience acted as the Greek chorus when there was none.

**I am the journey home, I am a thread**

**I am everything and nothing that I've said**

When Jacob sang this line his voice strained on the word home and it melted Rosalie's heart, the night before when he was telling her family about his orange tree groves he shared his entire story with them. Home for Jacob was like a grapefruit, bittersweet.

**Conspicuous smile when I look at you**

**My soul is flooded with stars**

**Conspicuous laugh when I remember to**

**Pull myself, Pull myself**

**Pull myself back from Mars**

Edward ended the song quickly but elegantly, then stood up and walked out of the room.

"You can stay," Rosalie said with a dry throat, knowing her brother would hear her.

"No, thank you," came Edward's rapidly fading reply as the stage doors closed on his words.

Jacob sat down next to Rosalie and they both looked out at the empty auditorium. Bella and Alice, who had earlier flown up to a lower box, were stuck because even in shadow the lobby was far too dangerous for the vampires, and so was half of the staircase for that matter. They stayed where they were and Bella contented herself with complimenting Edward with her thoughts.

"I…I can't believe you did that for me," Rosalie said at last.

"So you liked it then?" Jacob would be grateful for any compliments.

"I adored it," she stated simply. "I didn't understand half of it, but I adored it."

From somewhere below them, Alice chirped with laughter but Rose did not notice.

"Edward told me to write about who I am, and what you do to me," he told her. "And…I don't really know who I am, Rosalie. It took finding you to help me even begin to understand my place in this world." His voice grew thick. "But I do know what you do to me and I feel like gravity is a mere option when I'm with you."

"Thank you, Jacob," Rosalie said, pouring over his face with her dark blue eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, Rosalie."

"Call me Little Spoon."

* * *

Over the course of the next two months, Bella wrote so many letters to current New York theatre owners that she began to suspect she was sending duplicates. Ships to New York could be counted on to leave _Le Havre_ every few days and she took advantage of every departure. The French Flag ship line had almost a dozen ships in its fleet and it seemed that every year more ships would join the ranks of the _Lafayette_ and _Le Bourgugne._

Bella and Edward delivered these letters to the docks themselves, racing to La Harve with frustrating results for Bella. Edward would run along the river while she flew and he would consistently beat her to the big mouth of the English Channel.

"I don't understand how you always beat me here," she spoke into the biting wind one evening as they stood on a wide boardwalk next to one of Bella's favorite French ships, _Ville De Saint Nazaire._ It was small compared more modern ships in the fleet, less than three hundred feet long, but it was beautiful and Bella noticed that despite two powerful motors it usually used its sails.

"I'm fast," Edward laughed. "And it's cold enough to make the river freeze in places. I practically skated here."

"The river is so crooked though," Bella huffed adorably. "You are actually traveling farther than I am."

"Don't feel bad my love," Edward soothed, holding her closely. "I would much rather fly and I plan on asking you for a lift on the way home."

_I should have brought a big blanket._

Edward smiled at her thought. "Oh no. I'm not falling for that again."

"But you looked so cute." Edward usually went home in Bella's arms and this night held a coldness one could feel in their bones. Unfortunately, the two vampires could not even count on body heat so they suffered for their travels.

When they dropped off letters for the new world they offered an incentive to each post officer who brought back a reply. As a result, that night they happened to spot the _La Champagne_, a ship that should, and did have a reply for them. Bella had several options presented to her already but wanted to learn as much as she could. She actually sent letters to universities and public officials introducing herself and her intentions. It was a smart political move that paid off almost immediately. The last people she contacted were carpenters and contractors just in case she had to build from scratch. That had been Edward's idea.

That night she received a reply from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who had just opened his magnificent Music Hall earlier in the year. The facility boasted three beautiful auditoriums and was as lavish as anything in Europe. Mr. Carnegie was anxious for Bella to perform there after the New Year. It was flattering, but not what she had hoped for.

"I didn't think he'd sell," Bella sighed. "But it's probably going to be the last building made entirely of masonry in New York and it reminds me of a castle in the middle of the city." They had both seen newspaper photographs of the grand building occupying the East stretch of Seventh Avenue, between West 56th Street and West 57th street. Edward liked it as well but thought it was simply too large.

"I still think you should just build one," he said as they waited on the windy dock for the post officer of the Ville De Saint Nazaire to meet them. "We already know of several good and flat pieces of land near Central Park. You should get an architect to draw up plans. Besides, then you can name it."

"What would I call it?" She was beautiful with her hair spraying out behind her like the flags on the ships in the harbor.

"How about _le theatre du coeur_?" he whispered.

Theatre of the Heart. She liked it. "It certainly would be cheaper to build it ourselves, and since we'd have to remodel anyway…alright. Let's do it. Let's just pick a lot and have Carlisle supervise the construction."

"I know they are excited to go," Edward said, "but I don't know if they would want to stay for a project that could take half a year to complete." He thought for a moment. "I will say that I would feel a lot better getting them all away from this vampire hunting mess. I don't like what we've been hearing."

"Jasper doesn't seem worried," Bella offered.

"He isn't telling us everything. He thinks it's for our protection but he's plenty worried about this lot," Edward informed her. "Emmett may be foolish, but he's no fool."

Bella laughed. The sound of it carried over the foggy water and lapped against the ships like small waves. "If I could just get them to disappear in New York for a while that would be perfect," he said.

"Well, there's only one way to find out if they will," she said. "Let's go see them tomorrow."

Bella flew much faster with Edward now that he was a vampire. Even though he moved much faster then her now, he would have been terrified at the speed at which she could travel. It was a cold cold flight but was, as Edward stated, much better than getting wet.

* * *

Jasper spent those same months infiltrating the inner circle of Emmett's hospital hunters. They were easily swayed, pathetic really, when Jasper showed them the two sickles he kept under his jacket and explained to them that he was always ready to defend against the 'Children of the Night.'

Emmett practically cooed at the poetry and the next day all the doctors had conspicuous bulges under their jackets.

That was not Jasper's desired intention.

Now they were all armed and he had stupidly given them the idea. In the interest of full disclosure, he confessed his mistake to Jacob who attempted to downplay this news by pointing out that even a human with a knife was still a human. Jasper did not underestimate them so easily and warned Jacob not to be deceived by physical weakness.

The two of them had started meeting away from the hospital after that.

The so called vampire hunters were all talk. Jasper did not believe any of the stories about their past conquests. They did however suspect a vampire at the hospital and that was dangerous. For one thing, it was true. And for another, they had a fool proof plan.

Sunlight.

They decided to systematically confirm that each and every employee at the hospital had been seen by one of them outside during the day. Jasper had to admit that their knowledge about this particular weakness was disturbing. However, they investigated alphabetically and very slowly at that.

Dr. Whitlock had some time but it would eventually run out.

Carlisle had been spotted driving his buggy to work on the first day of November by Dr. Santiago and was summarily crossed off the list. Jasper noted that it took them nearly nine weeks to get to him, the last name beginning with the letter C. It was three weeks after that and Jasper figured that, at the rate they were going, he could last through the spring. He felt that the hunters were imbeciles for having not tested their own members first and his biggest concern was that one of them would consider this before the staff had all been examined.

Jasper was not going to let himself be exposed. He had a back up plan and even an escape route tested that could lead him safely out of Val de Grace even at noon. It was a simple matter of accessing the tunnels that ran under Paris. Those tunnels could be climbed down to from the hospital morgue but it was not exactly a secret that they were there.

And who liked to investigate the tunnels when it was a particularly slow day? Why Dr. Emmett McCarty, of course. He even theorized that this was the vampire's entrance point and that he felt lucky to have Jasper keeping an eye on things. Emmett told him to report anyone besides himself using the ladder to go into the tunnels.

Jasper agreed.

Some people may wonder why humans could not spot vampires on sight, but one must remember that this was Paris in the late eighteen hundreds. Everyone was pasty.

Emmett had also confided to Jasper that he had successfully stolen a kiss from Rosalie earlier that week. He absently rubbed his cheek as did so and Jasper had to swallow a smile.

Jasper knew early on that all Emmett could share with Rosalie would be embellished or completely fabricated stories that her father had now heard a dozen times but, since all his visits were contained to the garden under the watchful eye of her mother, all parties agreed that no harm could come from her continued relationship with him. Jasper did not know yet that Edward was somewhere else in France having second thoughts about that.

Rosalie and Emmett played chess mostly and he was getting quite good. He hadn't won yet but was learning and that was enough. Jacob, anxious to prove that he was every bit as smart as Dr. McCarty, also played a lot of chess with Rosalie. He was creative and clever but like Emmett could not convert a win.

Both men were gracious losers. Jacob more convincingly so but, then again, Rosalie offered him an exclusive consolation prize.

Sometimes he lost more than once.

* * *

Alice was in her bedroom. As usual, she had scraps of fabric and various sewing materials strewn all over. She had been making suits for Jacob and Edward for Christmas but wanted to take a break. It was not safe to go outside yet so she went over to a small stack of books that Bella had leant her. She had lengths of ribbon marking pages on three of them at the moment: _Letters from a Peruvian Woman_ by Francoise de Graffingy, which she was enjoying, _The Red and the Black_by Stindhal, which she found confusing, and _Dangerous Liaisons_ by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, which she was reading for the second time.

She did not really feel like reading though and chose instead to check her fitting schedule for the night. She had always been social, and her reputation in the vampire community only benefitted by having James and his top two goons disappear at her establishment a few months back.

She chose bold colors for her clients, which was not unusual for the time, even for men, but she went a step further than anyone else dared. She was so avant-garde that some considered her reckless. And in Paris that was saying a lot.

Most vampires were conservative but Alice had a way of talking people into just trying things on. Once they saw themselves in her mirror there was usually nothing more she had to say except, "Pay up."

Edward was her biggest challenge. He was always asking her to tone things down, but with accessories like his wide brimmed braided hat and his dragon headed cane, how could she not be expected to embellish? He was her first appointment that night, due at ten o'clock. An hour after that she had her first fitting with a new customer, a leggy blonde vampire woman who came in the day before to make the appointment. Her name was Tanya.

Alice told Jasper about her that evening. "Stay away from her," she warned him. "She's a heartbreaker."

Edward was on time for his appointment and Bella was with him. They were both in fine spirits as that was the day they each drank a bottle from Jasper's stores, and they brought one for Alice as well. "Jasper says it's an Egyptian vampire." Edward held out a heavy bottle to Alice who inspected the cork. _Anum_, was barely legible in the softening flesh of the stopper.

"It's very powerful, Alice," Edward said. "I think I'm going to try to fly tonight."

Both women froze. Edward was making a joke but he had a way of saying things that made one believe that they were inevitable no matter how absurd. Alice had actually taken to calling him a genie when she heard about the Angel angle.

Alice gently pulled the ancient cork out of the bottle with minimal bits of it falling to the thick blood beneath. "You got lucky," Bella told her. "I had little cork bits on my tongue after every sip."

"I tried to give you mine," Edward reminded her gently.

Bella laughed lightly.

_I know you did sweetheart._

Alice took a long drink that turned into several gulps that turned into the upending of the bottle. Edward counted her swallows, eighteen in all and the bottle was empty.

"I was thirsty," She explained, wiping a small amount of blood from the corner or her mouth.

_Actually_, _I'm nervous Edward. I wanted to tell Bella tonight. Are you two going to Le Havre?_

Edward did not acknowledge the message. He and Bella shared far too many subtle nods for her not to recognize a confirmation when she saw one. He was receiving two new vests today and stood still while Alice made sure the silk wasn't bunching anywhere.

After a few moments, he asked Alice if she and Jasper had plans that evening.

"I have one more fitting after you and then I'll keep the lights on for another hour after that but…" She put her hand to her head. "Wow. That is good stuff…Jasper isn't due until well after midnight."

Bella did the work for them. "Why don't you wait for him at the theatre with me?"

"Sure." Alice usually sounded more excited than that but Bella did not read into it.

"Is that alright with you, Edward?" Bella asked.

Edward smiled. "I'll be upstairs working on something in the pit anyway."

"Those Christmas songs giving you trouble Edward?" Alice teased. They all know it was some of the simplest and most sacred music on the planet. And they all knew that rehearsals for the winter production were going well. The Spicy Show, as it was now dubbed, had been handicapped by a three week hiatus but still got rave reviews and gave all the musicians a chance to stretch artistically. Bella was very pleased with the risk and gave Laurent a bonus that made him sputter like one of Benjamin Franklin's experiments.

"Actually," Edward said, "playing for Jacob today got me thinking about a song of my own…about my new life with Bella."

Both girls gave Edward the now familiar 'you're so sweet' look that never failed to make him feel like he was wearing a tea hat. "That sounds nice." Bella kissed him on the cheek. She then noticed that the acoustic guitar Alice had ignored almost entirely over the years was now out of its case.

"Are you practicing again?" Bella asked her.

"Not me. Jasper. He plays a little bit you know and was showing me some weird Indian sounding scales."

"Hindu scales," Bella instructed. "The gold scales as they're called. Do you like that kind of music?"

"It's very…hypnotic," Alice replied.

"I have always found it a bit fascinating myself," Edward added.

"Maybe we should find a Hindu Christmas song?" Bella said with a smirk.

Edward laughed. Alice didn't get it.

When he was allowed to leave with his new vests, one dark blue, and one, Alice's suggestion, lime green, Edward was pleased to go and hang them up with the rest of the fine clothes he had been gifted since becoming Alice's vampire neighbor.

Mademoiselle Tanyawas full lipped and full hipped and a vision in Alice's designs. The two women got along well and spoke together about German quilting and Italian leather. She was fascinated to learn that Alice was less than a decade into her new life where she herself had been a vampire for over ninety years.

She came from Slovenia originally and was chased out of London in 1824. She settled into the large vampire population of Paris and made friends easily. When she heard of Alice she was thrilled and impressed with her skills as a seamstress as well as what she learned of her character.

Tanya left just before midnight with several more appointments set up and Alice gathered her courage to walk over to Bella's room. She could hear her own unnecessary breathing echo off the slick stone walls that escorted her through the passage between the two buildings.

When she was close, she could hear that Edward was upstairs playing piano already. He was giving her privacy, but what did that matter when he could hear her thoughts?

_I bet you can hear me can't you? If you can, I want you to know that I hated you at first for making me tell her but, after I thought about what you said, I have to admit that anything is better than the life sentence of self loathing I offered her._

* * *

Alice moved the heavy dresser and caught sight of Bella lying on her stomach on the bed. She had her head in her upturned hands and an open book in front of her.

"What are you reading?" Alice asked as she timidly sat on the bed.

"The Bible," Bella responded.

"Really?" Surprisingly, Alice had never seen Bella read the Bible before. "I thought you gave that up?"

Bella smiled. "I gave up being a nun, not believing in God."

"Even after all this time?"

"Oh yes," Bella said. "I have had my struggle with faith in the past but ever since masquerading as an angel I have been touched again by something bigger than myself."

"What part are you on?" Alice grew up Catholic and was fairly familiar with the tomb.

"Luke 12:3," Bella said. "Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."

Bella had no way of knowing that it pierced her friend in the heart to hear those particular words.

"I really admire you, Bella." Alice said and her chin started to quiver. "You have all this talent and beauty and you are so ready to serve a higher power than yourself." She was crying, there was no way to hide it.

Bella responded immediately by sitting up and taking her child in her arms. "Alice, what's the matter?"

Alice looked into the eyes of her maker. If Jasper had been there he would have seen tiny yellow sparks, more like bubbles really, floating between the two women's faces. Alice saw compassion and regret mixed with alarm and she opened her mouth to say something that wouldn't un-stick from her tongue.

"Alice?" Bella asked with concern. "Why are you crying?"

Alice decided that she could answer that question, and allowed that she might be guided through her confession. "I'm ashamed," she said and, even if she had wanted to say more, she would not have been able to. Her body began to shake as she realized just how scared she was of losing Bella.

"We are all ashamed Alice," Bella closed the Bible. "We all have some secret sin that we pretend isn't defining our lives in small ways every day." Bella sounded like a preacher. Her honey eyes smoldered with worry for her _anam chara_ and she nodded her head in an attempt to get Alice to do the same.

Alice did nod her head after the prompt and acknowledged that she was not alone in her pain but cried harder than ever at Bella's generous, almost divine acceptance.

_She's going to forgive me, _Alice thought and instead of relief she felt the most tremendous raw disgrace she had ever endured. _If this is even close to what you have been feeling these last eight years then I am as sorry as I can ever be and I don't think I will ever forgive myself. _Alice could think it but, every time she tried to speak, she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Alice," Bella stroked her hair and wiped her tears away with soft hands only to be replaced by more cool streams of grief. "I may not be a nun anymore, but I can take your confession if you'd like and offer you absolution from God."

"I don't need absolution from God." Alice cried out her eyes were wide and wild. "I need it from you." Her hands flew up to her face as Bella sat up straight.

"Me?" She was actually somewhat relieved. "What did you ever do to me?"

Alice made a tremendous effort to raise her face from her hands and look Bella in the eye. She took a shallow breath and crumbled like a pie crust. When she did speak it was filtered through her dripping hands. "I knew you were a vampire." Once Alice got the statement out the next one seemed even easier. "I had some knowledge of them and when we became friends I suspected you because you never went out during the day with me." Alice did not dare look up. Bella was probably putting the pieces together already. "I suspected you were a vampire and I watched you closely." She blatted in anguish as she continued. "I was stupid and reckless…and I'm so sorry…" Alice was swept away in another fit of sobs and breath hitches.

Bella looked at her warmly, she did not blame the poor girl. "It was just an accident Alice. The fact that you suspected me meant that you took a great risk just being my friend, let alone sewing around me."

Alice did look up at her then. She shook head slowly and for a long time, long enough for Bella to understand that she had gotten something wrong.

Alice took one of Bella's hands, turned it over and kissed her palm. She then spoke in a whisper with her eyes still cast downward. "I tricked you, Bella."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked.

"I pricked my finger on purpose," she said and lowered her head further. "I wanted you to bite me."

Bella's face almost broke with horror. "No," she said in a shocked voice. "Oh no, oh no."

"I'm so sorry Bella," Alice pleaded. "Please let me make it up to you somehow. Just let me stay in your life."

"Oh Alice," Bella looked at her with pity. "I came so close to killing you."

"I know."

"No," Bella corrected sternly. "You don't. Why would you do this to yourself?" Bella felt like she lost Alice all over again.

"I just wanted to be like you," Alice said, knowing it was a wretched excuse.

Bella's heart was as strained as she was and ready to blame herself all over again by twisting the statement to fit her notions. "I didn't mean to tempt you, Alice."

Alice was radiating pain. "It was MY fault!" she practically screamed. "I tricked you. I fooled you!"

Bella did not feel fooled, she felt sick. She was somewhat relieved to know that Alice was a willing participant in her own transformation but she knew she had lost control and, regardless of Alice's motives, she would have attacked under similar circumstances.

"Alice, listen to me." Bella took her friend's hands and held them until Alice looked up at her. "I think what you did was idiotic as well as mean, but it was you and not me who will have to live with the punishment." She squeezed Alice's hands. "I am glad you told me and I promise you that I am still your best friend in the world and I will always be there for you."

Alice nodded her head, tears momentarily traveling up her cheeks with the vigor in which she bobbed her head up and down.

"You need to start thinking smarter though," Bella warned. "I have always felt that you were impulsive and reckless and, after what happened with James, I began to really worry about you. But if you were like this as a human I don't know if I can count on you to make smart decisions for the group."

"That's Edward talking," Alice accused.

"And me listening. And you know better, Alice." Bella did not like being hard on Alice so she added to her statement. "But…if it wasn't for you I never would have contacted Jacob and asked him to move here. In a way it was the best thing that happened to all three of us."

"I'm still so sorry."

"I forgive you, Alice."

"I should have told you sooner," Alice said. "Edward was the one who convinced me to tell you the truth..."

"Wait a minute," Bella stopped her. "Edward knew about this?"

Alice popped her mouth open and closed like a fish.

Bella knew that she did not have to yell. Edward was probably listening to every word they said, but she yelled anyway.

She shook the walls with her yell.

"Edward! Come down here!"

**

* * *

****Notes:**

_**Anam Chara**_** is Gaelic and means, soul friend.**

**If you would like to hear Conspicuous Smile you may find the link on my Author's page.**

**Special thanks to Rick Clingman who wrote the music for this song and sang Jacob's part so beautifully. As usual, I am singing Edward's part. **

**Now you may notice that the recorded version has a little electric guitar in it, and sure I could have come up with some zany way of explaining how that sound was achieved using some ingenious concept that Jacob devised, but in the story I wanted the moment to be more intimate and a bunch of extra pit players just wouldn't do. **

**Not to mention I already did that kind of thing in Chapter Seven.**

**Anyway, the song needs to stand on it's own outside of BV so we let nature take it's course with the kind of film noir sound that Rick came up with.**

**Special thanks to one of my newest friends in the fandom, SandytheSandstorm, for providing valuable information in this chapter.**

**MOG**


	23. Chapter 23: Something Borrowed

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote all four Twilight books.**

**Morgan Locklear ****completed all four years on the Harry Potter Lego game.**

**(After his son helped him of course.)**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Twenty Three:**

**Something Borrowed**

Edward was downstairs in a blink and the grin on his face suggested that he did not believe he was in trouble at all, or at least that he could talk his way out of it. "Yes, Bella?"

Alice reached out and touched Bella's arm. She was not going to let Edward be chastised for a kindness he did them both. Bella placed her hand over Alice's before she spoke. "When did you find out about Alice?" Her question came with no warning tone, but Edward was treated to her thoughts. She wanted to know how long it took her to confess.

"The night we decided to change our feeding habits," Edward answered.

_Lecture night, _Alice thought.

Edward did not particularly care for the nickname Alice gave to the night he gathered everyone together at the theatre, and he liked it even less when he heard Bella think the same thing a second later.

_L__ecture night._

"Lecture night," Edward repeated out loud, trying not to smile in spite of himself.

Bella nodded her head. "Not long then."

"No," Alice said, "and he said that if I didn't tell you that he would."

Bella stood up and crossed the room to Edward. She placed her hands on his chest as she leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you," she sighed.

_She's dangerous isn't she?_

Edward blinked once. _Yes._

The couple walked back over to Alice, hand in hand. "I'm glad I know now," Bella said. "I have a feeling that it will help me sleep better."

"I never noticed you have trouble sleeping," Edward responded.

"That's because you were asleep," she replied.

"Will we really be alright after this?" Alice asked standing up. She had convinced herself that Bella would be wounded by the betrayal.

Bella answered first. "Of course we will." Alice turned to Edward, expecting an answer from him as well.

"You did what you said you would do, Alice," he offered. "And you did it courageously. I think we just need to learn to share her now."

Both girls laughed and they waited for Jasper to arrive by going over possible locations in New York City to build a theatre. There were several choices near the Hudson River and Edward was keen on living near the grand vision known as Central Park. However, after pouring through maps and reading more correspondence, Bella discovered a nice empty lot at West 34th Street and 8th Avenue.

It was near the Garment District and very close to Broadway. "I want to be in the heart of the city," Bella said, excitement evident in her voice.

The owner of the sizable block sized plot wanted four hundred eighty dollars for it and Bella was more than happy to comply. She would send the Cullens with ten times that amount. It would be enough to build the whole theatre and keep them all quite comfortable while they waited.

Jacob and Jasper came into the theatre together having run into each other outside. Bella shared the news of her decision and instructed Jacob to exchange some francs and book passage for the Cullens in January. He agreed and pulled on a book, Lewis Carroll's _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. _There was a small click and a portion of the huge bookshelf swung forward to reveal a dark chamber within.

Inside were hundreds of non assuming canvas sacks. The wedge of light on the floor looked like a white church steeple on the floor and even touched a few of the closest bags tied at the top with ratty hemp rope. Jacob opened one and took out a few handfuls of bills. "I was going to put all the new galleons down here but you did say that you wanted me to give them to the Cullens?"

"That's right," Bella confirmed. "Please give them five thousand dollars for business expenses as well as their personal needs while overseas. The galleons will serve as their payment."

"Have you chosen a contractor yet?" he asked.

"I haven't, but they all quote between fifteen and sixteen hundred for a theatre. I think twice that will get me what we need," Bella replied.

"Aren't you missing something?" Jacob smiled.

"Like what?" Bella asked innocently. Edward knew better, she had been thinking about this conversation all day.

"An architect," Jacob said.

"Oh that's right. An architect." Bella spoke in a melodramatic flair. "Well, I was hoping you would design it for me."

Jacob was flabbergasted. "Me?" His dark eyebrows were two huge arches above his eyes. "Why me?"

"Two reasons," Bella said using a finger to close Jacob's mouth for him. "First, you have been studying engineering and design since you arrived here and you have more than enough artistic skill to satisfy my tastes and specifications. Second, I have a lot of specifications and I need someone who understands our…special needs."

"I am honored, Bella," Jacob answered, "and flattered that you would trust this to me. I won't let you down."

"I like how you two speak so professionally when you discuss business," Edward commented.

"Me too." Alice added. "It reminds me of the way my granddad used to talk."

Jacob chuckled. "Well then, you would enjoy this book." He pulled the Danish first edition of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland _from the shelf as he closed the door with his foot. It was bound in heavy cloth and quite thin. The illustration on the front cover depicted a fair headed women reading to a sleeping child while a rabbit in a vest walked toward a spiral of cards, keys, Kings and Queens. The title read: _Maries __Hændelser i Vidunderlandet._

Alice knew this version of the book well, having spent most of her human years in Amsterdam. She was raised on it but left her childhood copy with her younger brother when she struck out on her own. She was surprised at how many of the pictures she remembered. As she flipped through it looking at one amazing drawing after another, Bella walked up beside her. "I have the French, German and Italian editions as well, but this one has over forty illustrations by John Tenniel_."_

Alice walked over to show it to Jasper, who had been very quiet since arriving. Edward could hear by his thoughts that there was nothing in particular troubling him. Jasper was often quiet. He took the book when Alice handed it to him and smiled.

"I read this in German," he told her. "It sounded weird."

"Oh? You should try to read love scenes in German," Bella said laughing. "It's…unsettling."

Jacob laughed hard at that. "Oh she's right about that, German sentence structure is all wrong for reading about physical love but you won't have to worry about that in this story."

"I should hope not," Alice said looking at the cover as Jasper handed it back to her.

"I happen to find one particular aspect of the book quite fascinating," Jacob mentioned. "Butterflies."

Bella nodded her head. "Right, the butterflies!"

Jasper was also smiling. Only Edward and Alice did not seem to understand the reference.

"You see," Jacob told them, "they used to be called _flutterbys_. Because that's what they did, they fluttered by. Makes sense doesn't it? And they had always been known as such for centuries."

"I remember chasing flutterbys with my sister in Elsebridge," Bella reminisced.

"When Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first published, the illustrations showed a stick of butter with wings on it and Carroll referred to this insect as a butterfly." Jacob looked at the two youngsters and brewed up a smile. "A play on words you see?"

Alice and Edward nodded together.

"Well, for some reason everyone started calling flutterbys by this humorous new name and it just never stopped. Everyone now thinks of them as butterflies."

"I'll say this for you Jacob," Edward responded, "it is fascinating. I wonder how many other things have changed as a result of a similar phenomenon."

No one could think of any more.

Before they all split up for the night there was some other business to take care of. Jacob and Jasper wanted to do some solo weapons training and they all agreed on Saturday night. The Christmas Celebration show would not start for another week so they had only Sunday's rehearsal to contend with.

"We'll hold it at the cathedral again if that's all right," Jasper said, "and it will be much harder, right Jacob?"

"Right." Jacob and Jasper had been meeting every day for months to exchange empty water skins for full ones. They had grown close and Jacob finally revealed his secret one night when they met at Notre Dame. It did not seem right that everyone else knew. Besides, he was the one taking the most risk. His reaction had been mild, academic mostly. He had several questions and requests, but other than that it was a small affair. Jacob appreciated that most of all. "We have some nasty tricks up our sleeves so you all better be ready to fight smart."

Jasper and Alice left a few moments later and, after a clarification about the size of the lot in New York, so did Jacob. It was early yet, not even two in the morning but they all had private matters to attend to. Jacob had a theatre to design, Alice had a boyfriend to kiss and Edward had a question to ask.

* * *

The sky opened up and fat steel clouds showered Paris for the next several hours.

"We've made love on top of the Eiffel Tower, Bella," Edward mused, as they were sitting in bed together, resting on top of the cool sheets. "We have even dived to the bottom of the sea."

"We made love there too," she added.

"Yes well…I'm afraid that I have found myself in a dilemma," he told her. "I don't know how to top myself."

"What do you mean?"

"For starters, I can't take you to any building taller or…"

"Technically, I took you," Bella whispered gently and with a kind smile. She had known for weeks what he was lamenting about. It did not take a mind reader to know that he wanted to ask her something and it certainly did not take one to know what that something was.

"Well yes…and that limits my options even more," he elaborated. "I would like to find someplace special but it's been difficult."

"We're in Paris, Edward. Everything's special."

Edward lowered his head. "Not special enough."

Bella was careful not to light on any thoughts about him asking her to marry him, but her heart reached out for his as he struggled to make the moment memorable for someone who had lived thirty times longer than him.

"My special moments are in your arms, Edward," And with that she kissed him. Her lips found a shy response at first but with coaxing she was kissed back with vigor. She giggled as he pushed her blouse up with hungry hands. It draped over her face and he left it there. So did she.

The pocket of milky light held Bella in its grasp as she felt her stomach and chest being explored by the finger tips and lips of her lover. His hair tickled her a second before his mouth found her flesh, giving her a split second warning. Its power to make her shiver still took her by surprise.

Edward moved his flutterby kisses down further, deliberately skipping over the tangle of angel hair that only tickled his chin as he passed over to place his lips onto her thighs. His hands were under her and upturned, cupping the round flesh of her bottom before sliding around the sides of her hips and caressing the bone there with his thumbs.

Sometimes his kisses were light, nothing more than ghosts. And with Bella still under her blouse she was lost in touch alone. Sometimes his kisses were almost bites. He drew no blood as he slowly moved from one leg to another, applying suction and tracing small circles with his tongue whenever he found a tender spot. He moved gracefully and his contented sighs made Bella feel like a treasured woman. She was.

Bella lifted one knee as Edward slid his hand down to one slim calf. He kneaded the flesh with strong fingers as he kissed the skin that puckered above his fingertips. Bella let her legs fall open but Edward turned his attention to her other calf.

_Tease._

When he took her small feet into his hands she giggled, ticklish. She had never been ticklish before. But Edward gently persisted and the pressure on the soles of her feet felt like air.

He slid off the bed and stood with her feet still nestled in his hands. He began to add strength and the delicious feeling of the massage made Bella's shirt puff up as she let out a satiated sigh of her own.

Edward had the perfect balance of gentle and rough, and that did not apply to only his foot rubs.

When he stopped but did not climb back onto the bed Bella pulled her blouse from her head.

_Just as I thought, _she thought, _undressing._

She watched as he first slid out of his suspenders. They dropped to his sides one by one with a small pat on each hip. He then untucked and unbuttoned his pale yellow shirt. He started at the top, so that his chest was slowly revealed to her in an ever widening wedge of muscle. When he opened it all the way, Edward did so with a flourish, knowing she was enjoying the show.

Edward bent forward, and two discreet thumps told her his shoes were off. A few seconds later and Edward was standing up again, sans socks as well and began unbuttoning his trousers. They fell to the ground in a fast heap, having at first been snagged on something.

Bella gasped. Edward was not wearing undergarments, a by product of being naked and underwater for three weeks. He now hated how constricted he felt in most clothes. His measure of excitement was quite measurable and Bella wanted it. And she did not care where. She did not care how. She just wanted it.

Bella leaned her head back, winded by the rush of desire, and instantly felt the pressure of Edward's knees on the bed between her own. They were lying on Bella's newly recovered bedspread. Its ice white embrace framed Bella as she looked up into the eyes of the only man she would ever love.

Edward reached between Bella's legs and gingerly feathered the timid petals he found there. She felt silky, ready for him. Edward then brought his face very close to hers and looked far into her honey brown eyes as he slowly opened her waiting oasis with a practiced motion that made her eyes flutter and her ears tingle.

"I am so in love with you, Bella." He spoke with the credence of a man who had lived a thousand years. "I wake up every afternoon more in love than the night before."

"I love you, Edward. You are my salvation."

They made love that way, rocking in one other's arms with their eyes locked and expressing their devotion to one another. It was a powerful connection for them both.

Edward filled her with immense pleasure as he took his time building up her climax to the point of frenzy. He himself followed almost immediately after having been spirited by her strong reaction and impassioned cries.

Afterwards, they lay together, letting the candlelight play over their skin and the silence of the early morning lull them into an early nap. Edward loved this time of day. Even in Paris the streets were mostly barren and the resulting mental stillness was a gift he valued greatly. When he actually slept, he preferred what he called Bella's strong box because its heavy metal shielded him from many physical sounds. He also had to capture and stow his telepathy chicken, and that was always a risk, for it would serve as a splendid warning of its own. A catch twenty-two and not the first Edward had to endure since becoming a vampire.

There were benefits, however, and one of them was naked and lying beside him with both her arms and legs wrapped around him.

* * *

The lovers dozed but then were later roused by the bread baking next door. Edward still loved sampling human food and had a friendly arrangement with the neighbors wherein he promised to be their best customer if they allowed him to be their first customer.

That morning, he and Bella strolled next door and sat at one of the many tables outside with the chairs still turned upside down to deny the morning rain its claim on them. Jacob who had been absorbed in his first draft of the New York theatre heard them in the lobby and joined them for pastries.

"I have a nice building design but, I must warn you, we can't dig." Jacob began. "New York has a maze of sewer and water pipes as well as the beginnings of a subway system like the one underway here."

"We can sleep above ground," Bella contemplated. "It might be fun."

"Good," Jacob smiled. "Because you will be on the fifth and sixth floors."

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Bella suggested.

"Of course." Jacob cleared his throat. "The theater will open onto 8th Avenue with a large stone arch towering above the wide stairwell that will lead everyone to the lobby. The lobby and stage will have to be on the second floor to allow room for the orchestra pit, storage and dressing rooms below. As I said, we can't dig."

Bella nodded her head. Edward could already hear a dozen questions forming in her mind but respected her all the more for being patient and allowing Jacob to keep his flow.

"The lobby and auditorium will take up floors two, three and four. Now it means that we will only have two levels of balcony seating, but the main seating area will be twice as big as the one we have now. I'd say we'll be able to seat fifteen hundred on the floor alone."

"Wow!" Edward responded. "How big is the stage?"

"Twenty meters by twenty meters," he answered. "No trap doors."

They all chuckled at his joke, including Jacob, who then continued. "The top three floors belong to us. Two wings, sitting at right angles to each other with a roof garden between them. They will each also have a large bathing room and a loft and there will also be a three story tower that begins on the fourth floor. This will take the building to its full height of eighty feet."

"What is the tower for?" Bella asked.

"For me," Jacob answered. "Three round rooms stacked on top of each other, fifteen meters wide at the center with a coned roof on top."

"Good," she said triumphantly. "You deserve it."

"The building will take up the whole lot and will have numerous windows."

"Windows?" Both Bella and Edward were ready to protest but Jacob began searching his pockets. He took out several pages of notes and consulted them as he spoke. "I got an idea from Edison at the Eiffel opening," he began excitedly. "He asked why I hadn't been there earlier in the day when I lamented that the food was all gone and I told him that my eyes were sensitive to the sun. He told me then Roman Emperor Nero used to hold emeralds up to his eyes during gladiator fights to block out sunlight."

Both Bella and Edward had scientific minds and were intrigued with this observation.

"I have since discovered some very promising things," Jacob continued. "In the 12th century, the Chinese were working with flat panes of smoky quarts for the same purpose. An English designer named James Ayscough made a breakthrough in 1752 with green and blue tinted glass." Jacob, who was probably the only adult in Europe who drank milk beyond infancy, took a sip from his cold glass. "This all made me very curious but I was missing a vital piece of the puzzle. I wrote Edison and he suggested that I research the work of German physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter and that's when I found my answer."

He paused again to eat a few confections and to allow any questions from his listeners. There were none. "In 1801, he discovered that the sun turned silver chloride soaked paper black. This proved that the sun had chemical rays as well as heat rays. Radiation in other words." Jacob held up his finger. "Now we venture into theory," he warned. "Ritter's discovery of de-oxidizing rays that are just beyond the violet color on the spectrum leads me to believe that since the radiation waves are smaller, about two hundred millimeters, that they can be turned away with the right glass composition."

The bread wagon was being loaded behind them and it was the only noise on the street except for the river which they could all hear was moving fast.

"I think you would be able to see the sun again, even feel it's heat, and be in no danger," Jacob declared with confidence.

"Do you really think it could work?" Bella asked.

"Oh yes," Jacob said. "I have been experimenting with it for months now, and have several smiths in my employ."

"Why have you been doing all this?" Bella probed.

Edward heard Jacob's thought before he said it and interrupted him. "Can I help?"

Edward had just found his special moment to spend with Bella when he proposed on Christmas Eve, although now he thought he might do so on Christmas morning. He gave Jacob a look that said, _Please say yes and then don't say anything else about it._

As it turned out, Jacob was good at reading minds as well, or expressions anyway. He slapped Edward on the shoulder and answered. "Absolutely, I need someone to test it on."

* * *

Before Jacob left their company, he had consumed a pint of milk, four croissants, and two apples. He had also been given a letter to deliver to Esme.

From Bella.

She made no attempt to hide if from Edward and, even if she had, Jacob's exclamation would have proven her attempt folly.

"Esme!"

He had even turned the letter sideways, like it was a riddle. "What do you want to talk with Esme about?"

"Girl stuff," Bella answered quickly.

_Girl stuff, girl stuff, girl stuff, girl stuff…_

To Edward, it sounded like Bella was trying hard to remember something. He often heard repeated thoughts for this purpose. Or she could have been trying to convince herself of something. This too was employed by people he heard regularly. However, and this was what he suspected all along, maybe she was trying to block a thought, all the while knowing that Edward could hear the thought she chose to block it with, therefore making it a message to him as well.

Either way, girl stuff sounded like nothing Edward wanted anything to do with. He decided that if it was important for him not to know then it was most likely a nice gesture and he did not want to ruin the surprise. After all, didn't he have his own secret surprises for his Bella? And with Esme as well?

"Girl stuff," Edward repeated awkwardly. "I'm glad you girls have…stuff."

Jacob chose to walk that morning. He hugged both friends before leaving from the bakery and heading east. Paris was big, although cramped in places, and old, so very old that Jacob could smell past fires that ravaged the city. He could smell the millions of bones under the streets turning to dust and he could hear a dozen languages as the houses woke.

Paris was also green, plenty of trees, almost as many as the street lamps. As Jacob walked up the street he noticed that the rain had turned the cobblestones into a watercolor painting of the brightening horizon behind him. He knew that Edward had a very strong reaction to his idea concerning the sun blocking glass and since he remembered exactly what he was thinking about at the time, he anticipated having a nice long talk with him.

Probably while Bella and Esme got together and did their girl stuff.

He was glad to let the numbers and equations leave his mind only to be replaced by the art of the city. He could see the Arc de Triomphe, of course, and Notre Dame. He had some elements of the cathedral in his design for Bella's new theatre. He was confident that it would be a wonderful gothic addition to any city but he was happy to see it going to New York. He did not mind sending Carlisle with the designs as he stayed behind to attend to Paris duties.

Along the way, Jacob decided to visit one of the smiths who had gladly accepted money to mix and pour the bizarre recipes without prying questions. He discussed payment for three sizable pieces to be delivered in two weeks time and stayed around to give the measurements for two square pieces and one rectangle. The job would cost eighty francs and the outrageous price reminded him to have Bella increase the theatre's budget by about twelve hundred dollars.

The sun had officially claimed the sky by the time Jacob walked up to the Cullen home. He did not smell any cooking but smelled coffee and heard voices from the garden. He walked around to find Carlisle and Esme sitting together.

He was greeted warmly and invited to sit. Esme tried to get up and serve him coffee but he told her he could wait until breakfast.

Jacob delivered Bella's letter and he and Carlisle spoke about Emmett's new lead on a vampire while Esme read:

**My Dear Esme,**

**I admire your strength and courage**

**throughout the unexpected events of late.**

**Edward has been ripped from your arms**

**and placed into mine and I want you to**

**know how grateful I am to have received**

**nothing but your kindness and support.**

**I wonder if you could help me with a small**

**matter?**

**I think Edward is going to ask me**

**to marry him. I hope you are as happy as**

**I am to hear that, but he hasn't said anything**

**yet. I am patient and willing to wait but he**

**doesn't understand that I need to lock down**

**my church and reception hall reservations.**

**I think I would like to get married at your**

**church, Sacre Coeur, with your blessing.**

**I have not decided on a reception hall yet and**

**would like to meet with you to discuss it among**

**other things. **

**I will also introduce you to my **

**friend, Alice. I think the two of you will get**

**along splendidly.**

**Please send word with Jacob as to when we**

**might call upon you.**

**Thank you, Esme. I haven't known a mother**

**in ages.**

**With Love,**

**Bella **

When Bella awoke that afternoon she pushed the bed frame up and saw Esme's reply sitting on the eye level step of the spiral staircase. She opened it with trembling hands.

**Bella, My Blessing,**

**I hope you are right about Edward**

**and I am delighted that you would**

**ask for my assistance with your wedding.**

**Why don't you all come over for dinner**

**Saturday night at nine o'clock? Jacob **

**says you don't have a performance until **

**the Christmas debut next week.**

**Please invite Alice and, since I understand**

**that Jasper is her beau, I have asked**

**Jacob to invite him as well.**

**Bella, it is tradition for the father**

**of the bride to give his daughter away but**

**no such tradition exists for grooms and their**

**mothers. I just wanted you to know that I**

**wish such a custom was practiced just so I**

**could publicly hand Edward over to your**

**good care.**

**I look forward to Saturday night.**

**All my love,**

**Esme**

* * *

Jacob and Jasper were both dressed in black Saturday night. Weapons training would take place right after dinner and they did not want to have to change beforehand. They all sat in the dining room where two extra chairs had to be brought in. Esme served roasted turkey with a sourdough stuffing that rivaled the bird in taste. It was accompanied with a treat from America, corn on the cob that Esme buttered generously. They also had a tossed salad in a bowl so big that Bella could not see Jasper as they ate.

Bella had gotten out of the habit of eating human food as had Jasper, but they grew to anticipate Esme's cooking with excitement. Alice and Edward found eating still quite natural and often took seconds.

When the meal was over, the private conversations took place. With many of them possessing astounding powers of hearing, they separated themselves with room to spare and spoke quietly. Edward and Jacob took the kitchen and discussed the glass project at length. Edward was concerned by the fact that they only had one test before he would need a final product but Jacob was confident that the engineering was sound and the craftsmen were skilled. The result would be nothing less that successful. He would not take the chance otherwise.

Carlisle took Jasper up into his study where they sat in brown leather chairs and discussed Emmett's latest obsession. He was certain that he had found a vampire. He described her as a beautiful woman and that had the men worried. Both Bella and Alice were breathtaking as humans, as vampires they were sensual and irresistible to almost all men. Beauty was some of it, no doubt, but power and confidence was a rarity in women at that time and men seem to respond to strength in general.

Bella, Esme, Rosalie and Alice went into the garden. They all had hot tea and the steam leaked into the atmosphere as the women talked under the silver halos dealt by the moon. They all agreed that Sacre Coeur was the perfect place for the ceremony and that Esme would inquire about a date in late October, the following year. This would allow for a seven month building schedule plus traveling time for the Cullens and an extra month for delays.

It was also discussed and agreed upon that the Grand Hotel de Champagne in the center of the city would be the first choice for their reception. Rosalie volunteered to check availability there and then the conversation turned to wedding attire.

The ladies had to wrap it up when Jasper and Jacob appeared to remind everyone that they had business to attend to at Notre Dame. The others filed back into the house and Bella was afforded some privacy with Esme.

"Esme," Bella started, touching her arm. "I would like to ask you to wear something for me." She carefully removed the silver heart shaped locket from her neck and cradled it in her hand.

"My father gave this to me when I was eleven years old," she said. "I was scared because they were sending me to the convent and I knew that I wouldn't see him or my family much from that day forward." Bella considered how little she knew about what 'that day forward' truly meant at the time. "He opened the locket and blew a kiss into it and closed it again."

Bella closed her eyes and saw everything. Charles Swan got down on one knee and therefore had to look up at his stringy daughter. He wore a floppy hat that had been perched on his head for as long as she could remember and his eyes were deep pools of dark brown determination. He was struggling not to weep in front of her but she saw it and loved him even more. They would miss her greatly he had explained beforehand but the opportunity for her to have a healthy and happy life was one that he would sacrifice anything for, even time with his daughter.

The emotion of remembering her father was powerful, but to quote his exact words took her a moment to work up to. "He told me…that this way…I would always have his kiss when I needed it. And I have needed it many times."

Esme, always ready for a good cry, wiped fresh tears from her cheeks. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," Bella assured her. "It has been a source of great strength and purpose for me. But I would like you to wear it at my wedding."

"Are you sure?" Esme was afraid to take the priceless item. "It's all you have of him."

"I am looking after something precious of yours," Bella said with strength. "And I would like you to look after something precious of mine. You see, we are only borrowing these things from each other. They will never leave our hearts and minds no matter how far apart we really are from them."

Esme understood what Bella was telling her. She appreciated the wisdom and the sacrifice of the locket. She turned around and lifted up her hair without a word and Bella clasped the silver chain around her neck.

"I will wear it proudly every day and give it back to you at your wedding reception," Esme said and hugged her soon to be daughter tightly. Very tightly.

* * *

They all rode in the big black carriage together to the Notre Dame cathedral. Jacob and Jasper were both smiling so big that it reminded Alice of the Cheshire Cat from the book she was borrowing.

The streets were busy as it was still an hour away from midnight and the conversations were peppered with bits of song and the occasional grunt of pleasure. All the occupants in the coach as well as its driver could absorb the next block's activities, as well as the one behind them, as they moved through the cobbled but wide roads.

Edward could hear the whole damn neighborhood, as well as everyone's thoughts. He was coping surprisingly well especially since he had resisted the urge to gather up any mental chickens for mere inconvenience. It was, thanks to Alice and her advice, something he now reserved only for health reasons.

Notre Dame was so massive that its shadow ate the carriage whole when they approached the three front doors. The moon had always made the white building glow and the stark contrast to the side that was draped in shade made Jacob's eyes hurt as she pulled the horses to a stop.

Once they were inside the colossal inky chamber, Jacob spoke briskly. "You are not to use your weapons. This is an exercise in evasion." Edward set his cane down on a nearby pew, then removed his jacket and hat. Bella and Alice were likewise disarming themselves and removing cumbersome clothing.

Jasper disappeared through the door behind the alter and returned a moment later with two fencing swords. "If you are touched by one of these you are dead," he told them. "Bella and Alice will go first. Then we will fight Edward together."

Edward obediently sat down next to his belongings and folded his hands in his lap. Jacob was already gone and, when the girls turned around to confirm this, Jasper dashed away and into the darkness of the ancient cathedral.

Vampires can see well in the dark so Jasper and Jacob chose to take actual cover and attack at a full speed run when they got their opening. They came from opposite directions the first time, Jasper moving to Bella, and Jacob rushing Alice. Both women dodged the initial attack then instinctively moved so that they stood back to back.

It was quiet for a long time. Jasper was holding his breath but both women could hear Jacob breathing. He was behind the alter. It was a distraction. Jasper pressed the tip of his sword into the small of Alice's back and whispered into her ear.

"Touché."

Alice sat down next to Edward in a huff as they watched Bella set herself for the next assault. She saw Jacob break cover and barrel towards her but did not move at first. She even acted like she was focused on something else but, at the last possible moment, she flew straight up and out of his reach. Jacob ran beneath her but Edward heard his triumphant thought.

_We got her._

Bella went up a dozen feet and was promptly tangled in a cat's cradle of ropes that Jasper had anchored from one side of the church to the other. It was not enough to ensnare her as she easily broke several of the peskiest offenders, but it was a draw on her attention and Jasper was able to leap up and lightly touch the tip of his sword to her leg.

"Touché." Bella spoke the word through her teeth.

"Look before you leap, Bella," Jacob said as he strolled back up the aisle.

"Edward," Jasper called. "You're up."

Just as before, Edward stood perfectly still and dodged all attempts to make contact with him easily. Jasper and Jacob both cleared their minds and attacked randomly in order to curtail Edward's ability to hear their next move. They had discussed this tactic earlier and Jasper had confided to Jacob that Edward could only read thoughts that were assigned language. Jasper shared his theory that an image was far more difficult to decipher, after all pictures were worth a thousand words.

"You make too much noise Jacob," Edward announced to the room, his voice echoed briefly before getting lost in the eaves. "And Jasper, you are not going to succeed in slowly sneaking up on me."

Jasper was crouched between two pews about ten paces from Edward. He cursed and stood up. "We have to take him at the same time," Jasper said while looking around for Jacob.

"Good idea." Jacob rose from the other side of the sanctuary. Edward had been looking right at him.

Both men nodded to each other and rushed at Edward. Jasper arrived first and found only empty space. When Jacob raced in he nearly stabbed Jasper as he was violently pushed off course by a shadow that for a moment wore Edward's grin. The two men collided and Jasper went down. Jacob helped him to his feet and they stood up to look for Edward.

They each walked in small circles, scanning the room for any sign of him. To Bella, they looked like they were the ones being hunted and that thought was punctuated, as if someone could hear it, by a swish of air and a cry from Jasper.

His sword was gone, taken from his hand by a savage wind.

Alice applauded silently as both Jacob and Jasper looked more than concerned. They looked frightened, they looked human, and Jasper was rubbing his hand.

Silence.

Jacob leaned in to say something to Jasper but they were both knocked aside as Edward passed right between them, liberating Jacob's sword as well.

"Oh hell, Edward." Jacob laughed then. "That's not fair."

"Does this mean that I have your surrender?" Edward spoke these words softly but both men jumped. He was right behind them with a fencing sword at each of their backs.

"It appears to me," Edward stated, "that we're all done here."

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**I want to take this opportunity to thank ShabbyApple, my beta on Twilighted.**** As it turns out, she and I have roots in the same geographical area and she has been a good friend to me. I feel very fortunate to have been paired with her. She has agreed to beta the sequel to this story as well so I am very excited about that.**

**For those who have asked (and I guess even for those who haven't), I am expecting to end Bella Voce with Chapter 30. Then I will begin a sequel in January.**

**Bella Voce has been nominated for 5 categories in The Glove Awards - Best Story, Best Author, Best Edward and Bella, Best Rosalie and Best Jasper.**

**Voting opens on August 5th and there are many great stories nominated. Be sure and check it all out to vote for your favorites. The link can be found on my author's page.**

**As always, thank you for reading, reviewing and recommending my story. It means a lot to me.**

**MOG**


	24. Chapter 24: Something Blue

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear wrote a paper on chaos theory in college **

**that HE didn't even understand. (Got an 'A' too.)**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four:**

**Something Blue**

Jacob lit the sapphire curtain with one of the powerful lights in the booth he was manning. He had several colored fabrics, courtesy of Alice, that he held in front of the light beam to change it's color. He used red to begin the show and the resulting deep purple color looked very festive as the audience waited for the Christmas Celebration production to begin. It was Saturday, December 20th but it would only be so for another few moments.

At the stroke of midnight, Laurent began a low rumble on two big kettle drums brought in just for the opening number, _God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen._Bella sang it up tempo and gave it a Celtic arrangement that included twelve string guitars and some lovely flute additions. She had the orchestra pit stuffed with so much talent for the short three week engagement that she was spending almost as much money as she was making. She thought of it as her genius sea of songsmiths and she was but a tiny ship struggling to stay on top of the sound waves.

Bella was dressed in white, a gown of such brilliance that Edward's eyes hurt just looking at her. It was very long and trailed out behind her like a brilliant shadow of light.

She was smiling and Edward heard her thoughts. They were serene, musical. She usually wore the silver locket her father gave her but that night she had a teardrop diamond that rested on her bare skin above the lace accent of the dress. It picked up the light, which Jacob had changed from purple to white, and spilled tiny rainbows onto the underside of her chin.

Edward was wearing the pendulum pendant for the evening but Jasper had begged Bella to wear it at all other times.

The murder rate that Paris was experiencing was a bit of an epidemic and that had Emmett wound up as tight as a pocket watch. Jasper was also on edge and reported regularly that slain bodies were arriving at his morgue drained of blood.

Truth be told, he was beginning to worry that Emmett may actually find a careless and dangerous vampire in the city and Jasper realized he had too much affection for the able but impulsive human. It would be a shame if Emmett got himself killed.

Jasper was sitting in the audience that night and, as the first number ended, he turned to Alice whose hand was in both of his and commented on the richness of the orchestra.

"Bella has twenty five people down there plus two huge drums," she told him.

Jasper shook his head with a smile. "How does Edward stand being around all those humans, even if he has fed?"

"He put his hungry chicken away for the night." Alice giggled.

Jasper chuckled as the crowd settled and the light onstage changed from white to blue. He had heard Edward's analogy of his own mind being like a barnyard, with all his emotions and fears and desires behaving like wandering chickens that could be captured and stored away in a pen, thereby eliminating their influence on him. Jasper even helped Edward catalogue over one hundred and fifty such chickens in his mind. A week earlier he had suggested that Edward colorize them in categories and was hugged after a moment spent watching Edward sit with his eyes closed.

Jasper could also be around humans, of course they all could or they would not be in an auditorium filled with them, but in the hospital he came face to face with exposed blood and rich organs that called to him like a lover. He was far better than Edward at controlling his instincts and impulses but it had taken years of conditioning at the hands of his cruel maker, Victoria, to be able to ignore the need.

Jasper almost winced at the memory but squeezed Alice's hand. He found himself constantly amazed by her ability to offer him comfort when he needed it most. The two had been in a tender loving relationship for only a few months but had already taken great solace in one another's souls.

Bella began singing _Silent Night,_ a German masterpiece that sheperformed acapella and with enough emotion for it to resonate profoundly with those listening. Many had not yet heard the fragile hymn until that evening. Her performance was instrumental in making it a favorite of the region forever after.

Bella was very gifted that way, she could emote through song better than any vocalist Edward had ever heard. She poured meaning into every note and sang lyrics in a way that made one reconsider what they thought they knew about the poetry. She was magical and as she stood between two imported pine trees, each with Alice's treatment of ribbon and Jacob's addition of small white bulbs of electric glamour, she once again hypnotized those assembled.

The next song she sang was one she had learned in Paris. It was a French composition called _Les Anges dans nos campagnes, _based on a traditional hymn known as _Gloria,_ and recently translated into an English version called _Angels We Have Heard On High_. Bella chose to stick with the French rendition and it was perfect for the occasion. She even had a trio of violinists join her on stage. They remained for the next two numbers, _It Came Upon a Midnight Clear _and_ O Holy Night__._

Edward looked up at her whenever he hadthe chance. The colors his synesthesia displayed for him were pulsing from the instruments all around but always seemed to leave a little trough for him to see her face. He smiled at her whenever she met his eye and she would send him little messages of love.

She had told the musicians at dress rehearsal that Christmas carols were sacred to her and that she expected focus and reverence at all times during the performances. This meant that there would be no blue haze of smoke rising from the pit before the show and explained why she was not including lewd suggestions in her mental messages.

Jacob lit the stage in gold as Bella sang, "Good people all this Christmastide…" the first line of the _Wexford Carol_, an Irish traditional song that she had sung even as a child. Many people in the audience joined her, as it was well known and well liked. She had encouraged the participation by placing a hand to her ear and the room was filled with singing as Edward was treated to a blossom of blue hued waves that bounced in so many directions that he felt like he was in a blizzard.

Bella's next song was from Italy,_Tu scendi dalle stele. _Jasper absently translated it under his breath, "_From Starry Skies Thou Comest_." It was beautiful and Edward had a very involved part as Bella had arranged it just for the piano. Their duet was captivating. Bella sang with such earnestness that the rest of the musicians in the pit stared slack jawed at her as she moved gracefully across the big stage.

She sang a few unknown carols then and ended with _What Child Is This_. When the applause died down, she released them from their hypnosis.

"I hope you all have a wondrous holiday next week," she expressed, "and I want you all to remember to love the differences you see in each other. Be strong, be courageous, and be of good cheer. Now go home and sleep like newborns for tomorrow you wake to a spring of new found hope." Edward noticed that Bella had been placing suggestions in the attendee's heads upon their dismissal and admired the compassion she had for the people she once had fed on.

The audience filed out but not before offering a standing ovation to her and her orchestra. Bella's final show in Paris was a celebration of life and she, more than anyone, appreciated the irony.

* * *

The next few days were fun for Edward as he spent much of his time with Jacob and Rosalie.

Rosalie was going to look after all the glass needs for the new building in New York. Carlisle was happy to turn over that aspect of construction but was shocked at how much bigger her budget was than his. He had been given five thousand American dollars several weeks before and told that, if he was shrewd, he could get the materials and skilled labor for half that. The remainder was to be used for the Cullens' living expenses while in the city and, even with the nicest suite at the Westchester Hotel on Broome Street, Carlisle calculated the family would still pocket well over a grand. And that did not include all the Spanish galleons Bella had given them.

Rosalie had been given ten thousand American dollars and told to write if she needed more. Jacob trusted her, of course, but reminded her that she would have to supervise well over three hundred panes of glass in six different sizes including the grand curved pieces for the living quarters.

The tests on the sun blocking glass had gone well and Rosalie had suggested producing two sets for the carriage in case a pane broke during the cooling process. She pointed out that time was a factor and if one of the pieces failed the whole project would have to be scrapped. It had been a smart decision and the smith was so happy with the double order, and the money that went with it, that he agreed to apprentice Rosalie for the duration of the project. He would have ordinarily refused to instruct a woman but her aptitude, as well as the enormous profit, was enough to crack his mind open a bit. Both sets turned out beautifully and now they had a spare for each of the doors and the roof.

The glass was gray, almost olive in tint and was an inch thick. They sat well in the coach doors as Jacob installed them with only hours to spare. It had taken longer than anticipated to complete the glass but it was still early afternoon on Christmas Eve. Rosalie, who had delivered the material herself, felt that the installation was not going to interfere with dinner at home with her parents let alone hamper Edward's plans for the next morning.

Rosalie had lobbied for the roof glass to be placed over one of the benches rather than in the center of the carriage, arguing that one could look straight up into the sky from a seated position while leaving the other bench untouched by the extra heat coming in.

Jacob had explained to her that the potential for the interior to become even more stifling than before was going to have to be addressed and she had devised a system where air could be moved in through small metal tubes located within the wheel wells. It would breeze up the whole interior without exposing anyone to sunlight.

Jacob fell more in love with Rosalie every time she thought of such innovative and practical solutions to what would be colossal problems for anybody else, including him.

"I should have had you look at the blue prints for the theatre," Jacob said to her as they fitted the second door pane over the square hole left by the removed bars. The shutters were kept on as a precaution.

"I did," she replied brightly. "Papa showed them to me weeks ago." She smiled warmly at him and touched his arm. "It's a masterpiece, Jacob. A work of art and I hear that you chose the round corner tower for yourself."

"For us," he corrected.

"Good man," she smiled. "And we'll make sure they build it right, Jacob."

Jacob sat the last pane of smoked glass on the roof of the carriage and Rosalie traced around it with soot. Jacob cut out the offending piece of wood with a hand saw, his speed and strength making the carriage smoke at one point before Rosalie reminded him to slow down.

He had pre-built a cradle of lattice to support the new sky window and installed it first before Rosalie fit the glass into place. It fit snugly but Jacob sealed it with clay to keep it from leaking on rainy days.

When Edward turned up at half past five in the evening he was forced to wait until the carriage stopped rocking back and forth to thank them for the hard work they had put into the project on his behalf.

"Here's the plan," Edward began somewhat flustered ten minutes later to Jacob, who was standing outside the coach buttoning his shirt. His sister kept her eyes down, too embarrassed to look at her brother as she adjusted her clothing from inside the coach. "You tell Bella that the coach is too filled with presents to take us so we'll have to walk. We'll meet you there and come in the front door so you can park around back like normal. Our only snag will be if Bella decides to go out to see the horses."

They both nodded. Bella often spent time with Jacob's horses, feeding them things she was not supposed to. Edward instructed them not to stop her in that instance. "That will only make her suspicious," he explained. "The glass is pretty subtle in the dark I'd guess and if we close the inside shutters it may even help keep them hidden."

"She'll notice that the bars are missing right away," Rosalie concluded, climbing out of the coach.

"Why is that?" Edward asked.

"Because it looks so much better," she replied. "That damn thing looked like a rolling jail cell before now."

"I liked it," Jacob said.

"Me too," Edward agreed.

"That's because you two have no taste," Rosalie said smartly. "I bet you even like the color."

The two men quickly looked at each other, then back at Rosalie. "We do." They replied together.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and muttered something about the carriage still having all the flair of a coffin before excusing herself to go into the theatre to wish Bella a Happy Christmas.

She did just that but also had some wedding planning business to discuss before the men came back in. Alice had offered to hand sew all the flowers, which was unheard of, but Rosalie and Esme had decided to pitch in and help her. There would be plenty of time before the Cullens would return from America to work on the project. Unknown to Edward, a wedding had been secured by Esme to take place at the Sacre' Coeur Cathedral on Sunday, October 30th.

Alice gave Rosalie the assignment of making long leafy strands of Ivy using the most brilliant shades of green Indian silk that she had been hoarding for such an occasion. Alice had enough to keep Rose busy on windy New York nights when the building crew had all gone home for the day and Jacob rather liked the idea that she had something to keep her indoors at night while she was away.

Jacob did happen to know about their scheming as they had employed him as a spy. Jacob's job, however, was not difficult. Edward had already informed his mother of plans for a proposal on Christmas Eve and Jacob merely updated the group that Edward had moved it to Christmas morning. At first, he felt a bit like a traitor but the women had a way of making him feel like he had done Edward a favor by the time it was all over.

Meanwhile, Bella was singing nursery rhymes to herself to keep from thinking about it all during dinner at the Cullen house. Edward liked them too as he was treated to a private serenade and chose not to investigate the reason for her impromptu performance.

Esme served Parisian salad, which they just called salad, roasted goose with oyster stuffing and puffy mashed potatoes that looked like clouds befitting an angel.

Jasper and Alice had been invited as well. Alice had been left speechless by the gesture and Bella wiped a single tear from her cheek when Jacob delivered the invitation. The three of them - Jacob, Bella and Alice - had been celebrating the last eight Christmas nights with little conversation and even less food.

Jacob, for one, hoped this would become a tradition.

In addition to the goose, Esme had convinced Carlisle to glaze a ham with so much brown sugar that it looked like a coconut and tasted like honeydew.

They ate in the dining room, as usual, this time dressed in their finest linens and then proceeded into the parlor to open gifts. It was now carpeted in a light blue to compliment the dark blue davenport, and the cream walls were adorned with new art. The room did not have a tree due to the renovations which had ended only a few days before but it did have a big pile of presents heaped at one end. Jacob had been telling the truth when he informed Bella that the carriage was too full of packages to transport her and Edward. He almost had to make two trips.

As they entered the newly decorated room, a large painting of flames slowly burning their way up a wooden key dominated the wall opposite the garden windows. The teeth of the key were fully hidden by swirling fire with the round ring on top shrouded in waves of black smoke.

It had captivated Esme at the market and she had to have it frame and all. It sat inside thick pieces of dark wood that were big enough to be railroad ties and made the painting appear as though it was shrinking away from the viewer.

Jasper walked up to it and turned his head from one side to the other. "There's a ship in this fire," he observed.

They all walked over to join him. "Where?" Carlisle asked.

"Right here." Jasper pointed to the bottom of the painting. Indeed, one could argue that there was a ship with three masts visible within the many colors of the flames lower down on the canvas.

They all saw it after it was pointed out even though it was so subtle one could also argue that even the artist did not know he had done it. That was until Bella spoke up.

"There's one is the smoke as well." She pointed to the round ring of the key. The black smoke in the middle formed the same ship, like it was ascending into heaven. "And here!" she said and moved her finger to the left. "And here!" She moved her finger just below that.

By the time they all had a chance to examine the painting, they had spotted fourteen ships hidden throughout. All the same three mast schooner with an deck that curved upward at both ends. Some were merely suggestions in the grain of the wooden key itself. Others were ornate renderings in the fire that ate its way up the piece of art.

"What is this painting called?" Alice asked.

Esme had to think about the funny title for a moment to make sure she remembered correctly. "It's called _Keying Junk_."

Bella and Jacob laughed at once. "That makes perfect sense," he said.

"What does?" Rosalie asked him.

"It's the name of a Chinese ship that sailed about fifty years ago," Bella answered.

"Is it underwater?" Edward asked, thinking that she may have come about her knowledge by seeing its deep sea grave.

"Oh no," she answered, "it's been rotting on the shore at Tranmere Ferry opposite Liverpool since the fifties."

"They used to gives tours for a shilling in London," Jacob added. He looked around. "It was in all the papers."

"Do you know who the artist is, Esme?" Jasper asked.

"A young fellow actually," she answered right away. "His name is Albert Aurier and he is quite the poet as well."

"I know him," Alice said. "He's from Orleans."

Edward and Jacob looked at each other, the irony of the mentioned city almost startling them. Even Rosalie did not know that Orleans was where he was taking Edward and Bella the following morning.

They opened their presents one at a time, each watching what gifts the others received.

For Carlisle it was a shaving kit from Rosalie and Jacob, as nice as his surgical instruments and in a fine leather case. Alice and Jasper gave him some snazzy new shoes that Alice claimed were all the rage and Jasper informed were as comfortable as walking on grass. There were several medical catalogue items which Carlisle had ordered himself but saved until that moment to open. He and Jasper engaged in hospital talk until Esme delicately cleared her throat.

Carlisle then opened a device built by Jacob that held all his medical files to a hard wooden surface by using a spring. Carlisle opened and closed the clip and it made a whacking sound on the board as he let it go. Rosalie could see immediately that he did not understand its purpose.

"It's for your papers at Val de Grace, Papa," she explained. "Every time I see you there you're always looking for patient files or dosage references or something else and this will keep everything together as well as giving you a surface to write on if you need to make changes."

Carlisle's face lit up like an old man's birthday cake. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed. "I bet every doctor in the hospital could use one of these."

Rosalie smiled, she had suspected as much. She had mentioned the idea to Jacob about such a tool and he worked out the details with a small spring in no time. They perfected its design over a few days and Carlisle was holding the third edition of what they had dubbed a 'springboard.' She and Jacob had made all three prototypes for a franc's worth of materials but she was certain that they could get two francs apiece for the device from every doctor and lawyer in Paris. She felt that her father's reaction would be shared by anyone who desired improved productivity in the workplace.

Jacob had plenty of money for them both to live comfortably for the rest of her life but Rosalie was determined to make a difference and, even though she was going overseas in mere weeks, she was hoping to make at least a hundred more before the tide took her away from Jacob for a tortuous amount of time.

"You should charge five francs a piece for these things sweetheart," Carlisle said and, with that, even Jacob perked up. That was a serious profit.

_This could be a thousand franc business by spring, _he thought. Edward heard it and was passionately proud of his ingenious sister and the creativeness of his new brother.

Esme gave Carlisle a long black wool coat that fit him perfectly and made him look like a sailor. Bella and Edward got him a Godillot leather briefcase, a steel hard hat and glass goggles for his trip to New York.

Esme received a lovely pink dress from Alice and a bag of Runes from Jasper. "I have a feeling that you will have a gift for reading those," he said as she plucked a carved stone from the velvet bag. "Show me the one you just took out. " Esme turned the rune over so he could see the symbol on it. It looked like two crude half moons linked together. "That one is called _Jera_," he informed her. "It means harvest and rebirth. There is a small book in there that explains the meanings of the stones and how to present them." Esme was fascinated with the gift and tucked it away with the others she was given that night, a ruby bracelet set in silver from Carlisle, a crystal perfume bottle from Rosalie and Jacob and, from Edward and Bella, a Godillotleather satchel, a steel hard hat and glass goggles for her trip to New York.

Jacob opened his gift from Esme and Carlisle next, snake skin boots. "We ordered those from Tombstone, Arizona," Carlisle announced proudly. "Size sixteen." Carlisle and Jacob were both interested in the American cowboy and wondered if there would be any on the East coast.

Edward and Bella gave him the twenty-four volume set of the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He was so overjoyed that he made a little squeaking noise when he realized what he was unwrapping.

Jasper and Alice gave him a scarf. It was rust colored with streaks of gold, made of beautiful silk and had two lead weights sewn into each end. "It makes a great bola weapon," Jasper mentioned quietly. "Just in case."

Rosalie gave him a ring. It was a silver snake with its tail in its mouth and diamonds for eyes. He placed it on the index finger of his right hand. "What's the meaning of the snake theme?" he asked smiling.

"Coincidence," Esme answered, walking over to get a good look at the ring. Bella and Alice had also risen. "It will look great with your boots though."

Edward was next and he opened a book from Bella. It was an 1842 American copy of _The Masque of the Red Death _byEdgar Allen Poe_._ "It's the story of a man who hides from a dangerous plague by hiding in an abbey," Bella told him. "I've always related to it."

Jacob and Rosalie gave him a camel skin cloth with Dmitri Mendeleev's Periodic Table of Elements artistically inked into the soft hide. It was rolled up and came in a metal cylinder with a waterproof cap.

His parents gave him something that had been intended for his twenty-first birthday, a Grandfather clock that had been built by William Clement in 1676. It had always been, and still was, in his parents' bedroom and Edward had always loved it as a child. "We want you to take it to America with you, son," Carlisle said to him.

Jasper and Alice gave Edward a scarf similar to Jacob's, except that his was gold colored with streaks of black and dark purple. The leaded weights thumped on his chest as he put it on.

Jasper, genuinely touched by the holiday inclusion, was overcome with gratitude as he opened several thoughtful and useful gifts. Alice knew how much he liked the scarves they had made for Jacob and Edward and so she secretly made him one of his own. It was twilight purple and yellow silk and she had placed extra weight in the ends because she knew he had a tendency for overkill in his weaponry. Jasper was delighted and put it on immediately. He noticed that the other two men were also wearing theirs. He couldn't help but think of them as scarf brothers and Edward couldn't help but laugh when he heard it.

Carlisle and Esme gave Jasper two leather-bound books with his name inscribed on each one. He flipped the first one open but still had no idea what it was. "I had that copied for you at the London British Library," Carlisle told him. "It's called The _Leechbook of Bald _and it's a medical text compiled in the ninth-century under the influence of Alfred the Great's educational reforms." Carlisle held out his hand and Jasper gave him the books, he turned the second one to the last page. "This is how the text got its name," he said as he handed the volume back to Jasper, who read the Latin aloud snickering as he went. "_Bald habet hunc librum Cild quem conscribere iussit_," he recited. Bella understood the words but the others were still piecing it together. Carlisle translated. "Bald owns this book which he ordered Cild to compile." It was the only personal notation from the author.

Jacob and Rosalie gave Jasper a Norwegian crossbow. It was elegant and artistic in design and it had the inscription 'Chapter V' burned into the stock.

"What's this?" Jasper asked.

"Have you read _The Art of War?"_ Jacob asked back.

Jasper looked insulted that they had even asked if he had read Sun Tzu's groundbreaking B.C. manifesto. He had a small collection of translations after all.

Jacob and Rosalie waited, and smiled.

"A-ha!" Jasper exclaimed. "Chapter five!" He cradled the weapon as he quoted the text, "In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack: the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers."

"Actually," Jacob said, "I was thinking more along the lines of, 'Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?'"

"I think that's in Chapter one," Jasper informed him.

"Oh."

Jacob may have burned the wrong chapter into the stock of Jasper's crossbow…

"Well, then, let's go with your quote," he smiled.

Bella and Edward gave Jasper a telescope. It was a collapsing brass beauty that combined with his superior vision would serve him well. But Jasper had a bit of flair with his long coat and his big boots and both Bella and Edward thought it would look smart on him. They owed him so much more than a thousand such gifts for what he did to save Edward, not to mention sneaking blood out of the hospital every day.

They had invited Jasper and Alice to live in New York with them a few days after they announced their plans and both loved the idea. Bella and Edward further insisted on providing them with a wing upstairs and when Jacob showed off the plans Jasper refused such a generous offer. It was then that Edward attempted to convince him that a debt from one vampire to another could best be repaid with security and verity and, in New York, he could provide both.

Jasper had agreed, but only with the understanding that this made them even and no more grand gestures would be accepted. He extended the telescope, a nice gesture but not a grand one and therefore graciously accepted, as he looked through the parlor and the dining room and the kitchen. He focused on a reflection on a pane of glass in the door that led onto the back porch. It showed a purple clay tea pot sitting on the windowsill above the porcelain sink that was out of his direct sight. The streetlight outside competed with the flicker of the kitchen lantern and made the image dance in the glass across the room.

Jasper thanked everyone and turned his attention to Alice who was literally bouncing up and down because she already knew what Jasper had gotten her and had been enduring the wait since the night of the last Christmas show at the theatre. They had been sitting in the audience listening to one of the Irish hymns when Alice leaned over and told him that she wished Bella had found bagpipes for the pit because it was by far her favorite instrument, even though she had only ever heard a few. Jasper had smirked just so and, after minimal prodding, admitted that he had found her a spectacular John and Robert Glen Co_. _set of pipes that had been crafted in 1888. It had been broken in by a Parisian musician, who was all too happy to sell it after a frustrating three years with his difficult musical choice.

She sat with it on her lap and waved a hand to Bella. "I bet you could teach me to play this couldn't you?"

Bella nodded her head slowly. Smirking.

"Really?" Edward asked, already knowing that she was not joking. "Bagpipes?"

Alice handed the large apparatus over to her friend and Bella began a rusty, but pleasant, version of _Silent Night_. Alice opened the rest of her gifts to the sound of the simple yet elegant song played on such a visceral instrument. Carlisle and Esme gave her a gold banded Kaliope box that played several tunes on a metal disk. It sounded like there were tiny bells ringing when Alice wound up the German made Polyphon_._

Jacob and Rosalie gave her an I. M. Singer & Co_._ sewing machine. It was a classic already, having been made in Paris way back in 1860, but it was still the most mobile and versatile machine to date. Alice was melting with gratitude and hugged her friends.

When she opened the present from Edward and Bella she was already lightheaded with joy but they gave her a gigantic set of thread spools and fabric dyes that would make even the king's seamstress jealous.

When it was Bella's turn to open her gifts she handed the bagpipes back to Alice and tore open a package with Jacob's handwriting on it. 'To our un-caged bird.' it read. Inside was a small ring with a compass in it. It was the smallest mechanical device she had ever seen and she had a feeling that Jacob had made it himself. The ring was gold and quite slim, despite its purpose, and looked quite feminine on her right hand.

"In case it's cloudy and you can't find the river to lead you home," Jacob told her with a warm smile. He was always finding ways to look after her.

Esme and Carlisle gave her a spruce and maple Guarneri violin. She had not been able to collect one yet and they knew that she was taken with those carried by the three musicians who joined her onstage for a few numbers in the Christmas show. She was speechless as she opened the small case and stared at the instrument on her lap.

"It's the same color as your eyes," Edward said as he saw the elegant violin. He then asked if he could offer her his gift in the morning and she agreed happily.

Alice and Jasper gave Bella a few gifts. One was a stunning sequined handbag. "That sack you carry your razor whip around in looks like… a sack," Alice commented as Bella lifted it from the box it was wrapped in. Bella then opened three pairs of shoes, also from Alice, to match the three dresses she received thereafter. None of them were white but they all had a certain formal look to them. Her last gift was obviously influenced by Jasper. It was the largest, most detailed globe she had ever seen. It sat at a tilt in a handsome bronze cradle and spun with ease as she moved her white fingers across it.

Jacob handed Rosalie a small box after they all passed around the painfully detailed globe. Inside was a small golden ring. It was very plain but buffed to a shine. "This ring belonged to my mother," Jacob told her. He opened his mouth to say more but Rosalie stilled his words with a hand to his knee. He did not have to say any more, and she knew he probably couldn't. It was the most personal gift he could have given anyone. Bella did not even know of its existence. Jacob had kept the totem private until that moment.

Alice, who loved Rosalie's blonde curls and never failed to tell her every time she came to dinner, handed over a wooden box with poppies hand painted onto it in bright oils. Inside were several dozen hair ties and clips that Alice had been collecting or making since the winter's first snow in November. Jasper wanted to give her a blunderbuss but when Alice took one look at the huge hand cannon that looked like a cross between a pistol and a trumpet she had insisted that giving a firearm as a gift in the Cullen house was distasteful at best.

Jasper was crestfallen. That gun had been through eight ship captains before he had taken possession of it and thought it would be the perfect item for a New York woman's handbag. He consoled himself with the fact that he could always give it to her before they left, with Carlisle's permission of course. The gift Jasper gave to Rosalie in its stead was something he carved long ago out of Monkey Pod wood when he was in Africa. It was a replica of a Roman coin of Janus_. _Two faces looked in opposite directions from the same head and were off center with a crescent of rivets traveling down the right side of the small masterpiece.

"Janus is the god of doorways and new beginnings," Jasper stated as Rosalie turned the coin over to reveal a smooth surface. "He is also the god that the month of January is named after. I thought you should take this with you on your trip next month. It's a good luck coin."

Rosalie loved it, Jacob did as well. In fact, he was a bit jealous knowing that Bella had several of the real coins locked away inside the theatre.

Rosalie opened the gifts from her parents next. They gave her a beautiful stationary set in a teak box with gold leaf, a new overcoat for the oversea voyage, and a matching pair of silver hair clips that were etched with waves of fine vines. They made her think of the ivy she was going to make for Bella and Edwards's wedding.

Her last gift was from Edward and Bella, it was a Godillotleather satchel, a steel hard hat and glass goggles for her trip to New York.

* * *

Christmas morning arrived on the leaves in the garden as pale moonlight and frost.

Carlisle and Esme retired after the parlor was cleared of wrapping paper. Jasper and Alice excused themselves shortly thereafter to pursue a private Christmas celebration.

Edward asked his parents if Bella and Jacob could stay until dawn as they would be heading out of town before first light. He was, of course, permitted if not encouraged, to spend the night. The three of them sat in the new parlor with Rosalie as they all toyed with their gifts and talked about the upcoming trip to New York.

While Jacob thumbed through his encyclopedias, Rosalie sat close to Bella and watched as she tuned the violin. Edward unrolled the camel skin periodic table on his lap and began asking Jacob to identify the elements he did not know.

When Bella began playing _Away in a Manger_, Edward's face lit up. It had been published in Philadelphia several years before but had traveled immediately to Europe where it enjoyed wide popularity. Bella did not include it in the show, nor had she ever played or discussed it before. Edward was warmed to know that there would be enough things to learn about her to last him for eternity. He began singing softly to the low strokes of her bow across the taught strings and Rosalie moved back over to Jacob where she curled up next to him and listened with her head on his chest.

A few hours later, Rosalie was yawning every few minutes so Jacob went upstairs with her to say goodbye for the day and tuck her in. He assured her that he would be back that very evening and kissed her gently on the forehead. She was asleep by the time his lips left her skin.

Edward suspected that Bella suspected something due to the unquestioning acceptance of everything he suggested, no matter how peculiar. The nursery rhymes she internally sang to herself were also a dead giveaway. They were certainly favorable to her plague era songs although he had begun to grow fond of one morbid tune in particular. She sang it earlier in the day when Rosalie commented about two shades of green that went well together outside in the garden.

_Ring around the rosy_

_Pocket full of posy_

_Ashes, ashes, we all fall down._

When asked, she explained that death used to be a daily affair in Europe that did not escape even the notice of children. The song was sung by the young and referred to the fever of the plague, the flowers placed on the dead to mask their decay, and the result of mass cremations and the inevitable oncoming of death.

When he suggested that they allow Jacob to take them back to the theatre before the sun came up, she thought it sounded reasonable enough and knew that the long awaited moment was drawing near. Jacob had a gleam in his eye that she usually only saw when he was on all four legs and had his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Edward was nervous as they entered the coach, thinking that she would see the glass immediately but, as Bella climbed inside, she was so busy securing the gifts on the other bench that she did not notice the modifications at all.

She did, however, comment that Jacob turned the wrong way out of the Cullen drive and then waited patiently for Edward to explain.

"I wanted this to be a surprise for you, Bella," he said, "but I feel that I should warn you first…It might be frightening for you."

Bella was not expecting the conversation to begin like that. "Alright," was all she said, unable to formulate any other verbal response.

In her mind she asked, W_hy would I be frightened?_

Edward answered by reaching above her head and unsnapping a heavy leather mat from the ceiling of the carriage. Pink light spilled onto the small space, cascading over the opposite bench and turned her violin case purple.

Bella gaped at the square of budding light above her head. She then gasped as Edward flung open the two shutters, filling the carriage with delicate illumination. "Jacob's glass?" she asked.

"Yes," Edward answered, "and it's been tested. How would you like to watch the sunrise with me?"

It only took fifteen minutes for the sky to turn from a hazy purple to a rich and powerful blue. Bella looked upon it as though it were filled with fireworks. She had missed that shade of blue. She had even dreamed about it and, even through tinted glass, it was as brilliant as she remembered. She was intensely moved by the sight.

"It's a miracle," she spoke softly. The moment would have been tender, but Jacob had heard the declaration and laughed at it like it was a joke. To passersby he must have looked like a mad man, cackling away at himself as he drove his carriage.

They would have thought,however, that the mad man's new scarf and snake skin boots looked good.

Edward soon realized he would not be able to wait until they reached Orleans to ask her and, since they could not leave the coach, he cleared his throat. It was not quite six in the morning when he spoke the most important words of his new life.

"A few months ago my life was finite. And the thought of spending the rest of it with you was all I had ever hoped for. Now my life is infinite and spending the rest of it with you is all I will ever dream of. Bella, will you marry me?"

Bella looked up at the possibilities that the blue sky represented for them. She was filled with the certainty that together they would discover great things and live in genuine happiness. "I would love to," she replied and kissed him.

Their lips were timid, strangers that slowly fell in love and pressed together with passion and warmth. Edward breathed in her scent as she closed her eyes and leaned back into the hand that he had at the back of her neck. He laid her down on the bench and draped himself over her, kissing with tender hunger. Bella opened her eyes and saw blue sky above Edward's tangled hair. She kissed him with a depth of meaning that was an affirmation of her gratitude and commitment.

When they were done kissing, they sat up and rode in silence for a time.

Edward shifted in his seat and looked at the outskirts of Paris.

"Well, that didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would."

"Me neither."

"What?"

"Nothing...Where are we going?"

"Orleans."

Bella was glad to hear that. They would be there and back by evening and since she had never seen Orleans by day, or any of France for that matter, she peered out the window as a sun beam fell directly on her face.

Edward thought she looked like an angel. Bella thought she was in heaven. The sun's warm touch was foreign but welcome and she did not think she would ever want to sleep again if this was her new world.

When they arrived at Orleans, the sun was directly overhead and made the water in the Loire River dance and shimmer. Bella looked like a child with her nose pressed to the window and pointing at seemingly ordinary things. They passed the cemetery at Place du Martroi and Bella asked Jacob to stop the coach.

"I know it's morose," Bella said, "but I find cemeteries beautiful and peaceful."

Above them, Jacob smiled. He felt the same way.

Edward saw the appeal but had not lived long enough yet to embrace the meaning of their fascination.

Bella told Edward that she would plan the wedding for late fall when the rest of his family was back in Paris, and that Alice was sure to help. Beyond that, they did not discuss details. They just absorbed the rich blue sky that settled over them like a blanket even as they passed Joan of Arc's house and many other beautiful buildings and cathedrals in the ancient city.

"I hope to be just like this blue sky to you, Bella." Edward took her hand in his and kissed it. "Constant, endless and comforting."

"You have given me something I never thought would be possible," Bella told him. Edward reminded her that Jacob and Rosalie were instrumental in its conception and application, as usual deferring praise. Jacob appreciated the gesture, and he did indeed deserve most of the credit, but as a romantic he sent Edward a mental scold for being so modest.

On the way home, Bella played the violin. The sound swept out of the carriage and washed the countryside in waves of elegant music as the rich sunlight poured onto her playing hands.

The evening ushered in a sunset that brought Bella to tears. She was overcome with the beauty of such a simple daily affair and hoped that she would never take it for granted. Purple and orange met in her hair as she laughed with Edward and Paris was a faint glow in the distance.

"This has been a wonderful day, Edward." Bella's voice was full of emotion. "I love you so much."

"I love you, Bella."

Paris greeted them through tinted windows and leaned over the roof at times to look inside at the blissful couple. Jacob took them directly under the Eiffel Tower before pulling into their neighborhood in the Champs-Elysees.

When they walked back into the theatre, Alice was waiting for them onstage. Her expression was slightly tense. "Jasper is on his way," she informed them. "He says he's having a problem with Emmett."

"What is it?" Edward asked. The mention of Dr. McCarty's name instantly sent his worry chickens scattering.

"I'm not sure but when he came over to the dress shop a few minutes ago, Emmett was outside with a few of his friends from the hospital." She paused.

"He's with them now."

**

* * *

****Notes:**

**I was worried that I wasn't going to make today's post as I only had one day of writing this week but, as usual, Jenn turned it into something special. Thanks to all of you who address both of us in your reviews. She is a huge part of the story and we are very pleased that you keep coming back for more. **

**Bella Voce has been nominated for 5 categories in The Glove Awards - Best Story, Best Author, Best Edward and Bella, Best Rosalie and Best Jasper.**

**Voting is open until August 13th and there are many great stories nominated. Be sure and check it all out to vote for your favorites. The link can be found on my author's page.**

**As always, thank you for reading, reviewing and recommending my story. It means a lot to me.**

**MOG**


	25. Chapter 25: Angel Is In The Architecture

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Who?**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five:**

**The Angel is in the Architecture**

By Christmas Day, Emmett had been following his vampire vixen for a week and was ready to make his move.

December draped Paris in powdery snow and the beautiful woman's small footprints made it easier for him to follow without getting too close. He had never seen her out during the day and, as far as he could tell, she never ate. She drank wine occasionally but that was to be expected, even for a demon. It was Paris, after all.

He wore a gold leaf crucifix around his neck. It sat under his gray shirt and against his smooth skin. Emmett wore it despite Jasper's warning that it would do him no good. It was just another example of how Emmett was doing things more and more on his own.

He was keeping secrets.

Emmett's friends at the hospital were upset with his silence. They felt that he was being selfish. He told them that his was not a quest for his own glory, but for God's, and the only way to succeed was to do it quickly. And alone. Jasper had to admire the young man's tactics along with his bravery but he knew the mission was doomed. He would have to thwart Emmett if he could. He stayed close to Emmett at the hospital all Christmas Day and, about the time Edward and Bella reached Orleans, he and Emmett were in the morgue discussing matters further.

"Have you considered the possibility that she has seen you and is toying with you?" Jasper asked.

"Oh yes," Emmett replied quickly. He knew that she was a crafty devil and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. When she was alone, or seemingly so, she allowed herself actions no ordinary woman could undertake. She demonstrated feats of strength that would make a tiger shiver and she walked like the city was all in her front yard. With each moment that he observed her, Emmett became more certain that God was testing his resolve.

It had been a while since he had seen Rosalie but he still carried a torch for her. This gorgeous imp was a reminder of beauty unavailable to him.

The vampire he stalked had no soul. The decision was simple.

The woman he loved had Jacob. The decision was painful.

"Are you sure she is even one of them?" Jasper tried to ask an indelicate question delicately and it was disastrous.

"God is sure, Jasper!" Emmett responded like a preacher on a pulpit and then lectured Dr. Whitlock on the sins of not obeying God's commands. Jasper had started the conversation so he waited patiently as Emmett uncorked a torrent of 'thees' and 'thous' that would have caused a nun to cross herself.

While he was preaching, Jasper wondered briefly if Emmett might not be completely sane and when Emmett wandered off mid-sentence lost in mid-prayer Jasper let him leave.

Emmett prayed often. He would even mutter to himself in the halls. Sometimes his prayers would turn to inner rants that would have alarmed Edward to the core.

His other friends at the hospital tried to get him to talk about her more but he would not. They perceived it as mere selfishness and gave up on him quickly.

Emmett had never seen her kill anyone but his faith in his cause required no such evidence.

Dr. McCarty struck out on his own each night that week and came back with only vague statements that led them to believe he was close to his first kill.

Jasper knew that Alice had not left either the cathedral or the theatre alone in days but simply needed more information. Was Emmett actually following someone or was he just concocting more stories? If he was, in fact, on to a vampire Emmett might be the one in danger.

Jasper decided that he had no choice but to trail Emmett to see what was going on. He had a sinking feeling that told him there was only one way a human could observe any vampire at length without being as conspicuous as an elephant in a dog show.

She was playing with him.

Jasper wondered what kind of vampire would do such a thing but, then again, she was the one being stalked. He had to admit that his initial reaction to any human who discovered his secret was to deny that human the rest of their life. Jasper remembered thinking that Carlisle and the rest of Edward's family might have to be sacrificed when Edward chose to disclose his secret. And, even though the Cullens still believed Jasper to be human, he felt a duty to monitor the release of certain information where vampires were concerned.

Surprisingly, things had worked out with the Cullens but Jasper had a very bad feeling about how things would end with his impulsive human friend.

The similarities between Emmett and Alice were now glaring and Jasper wondered if they might actually get along under different circumstances.

On Christmas night, Jasper followed his foolish young friend for the first time and he was fortunate that Emmett did not leave the hospital before sunset. The stocky doctor was working fast to finish his duties early. He spoke of dark turkey and cranberries but Jasper suspected something more sinister was in the works.

They were both wheeling hypothermia victims to the boiler room which was the best way at the time to thaw out the unfortunates exposed to the chill gripping the city. The trip took them past the main hall and Jasper refrained from wincing at the few remaining strands of sunlight up in the rafters. It was not enough to hurt him from where he passed but going in there would have been painful even at this late hour.

"You don't really need to rush if it's her you're after," Jasper remarked casually. "She can't go outside yet."

Emmett laughed and relaxed a little, but just a little.

Jasper could not see any sunbeams, they were just slivers on the ceiling of the thirty foot hall, but he could feel their power. They spread out like a beautiful fog and deteriorated quickly enough for him to feel only a tingling on his skin.

_Sunlight is sunlight, _he thought to himself. The old Southern saying was something Jasper learned on the plantation with Victoria. In the end, he had used that saying to his advantage.

The moment passed as they continued down the hall and deposited their patients into the care of a sweaty little doctor with glasses. He was constantly wiping his steamy lenses. They went their separate ways after that but, thankfully, Jasper had some influence with the hospital staff, including some of the doctors who were frustrated with Dr. McCarty. It was a solid hour afterward before Emmett was finally free to leave.

When he finally did walk outside and into the crisp evening air, Jasper was in the wind.

Emmett walked down to a bistro that was one of Alice's favorite places but ordered nothing. He looked like he was waiting for someone. Jasper easily stayed out of sight while keeping a watchful eye on his friend.

_Good_, he thought, _he doesn't know where she lives_.

As if Emmett could read his mind, he stood up and walked in the direction of the dress shop. As he took one correct turn after another, going right to the very block Alice lived on, Jasper felt waves of sickness pass through him. If Emmett saw her and attacked then Jasper would have to choose, and he knew he would choose Alice.

_Goodbye, Emmett_.

Jasper kept his distance and felt a moment of horror when he heard raised voices. As he rounded the corner, he saw Emmett standing with a familiar group of doctors.

"…never tell us anything!"

"Relax," Emmett grumbled, "and, for God's sake, keep your voice down."

Jasper listened to the men argue about the rights to kill his girlfriend and began to seethe at the audacity. It if weren't for the friendship and affection he truly felt for Emmett he might have just strolled over and snapped all their necks.

Jasper was smiling at the daydream when a hand fell on his shoulder. He jumped but was trained not to cry out. He turned to find Alice smiling at him. "What are you..?"

He shushed her with a finger to his lips. "Emmett McCarty is outside your shop," he whispered. Alice opened her mouth in shock.

"Go to the theatre and wait for me." She nodded her head and left the way she had come.

Jasper fell back as well and approached the collected doctors from behind. "Good evening, gentlemen," he said with a bright smile.

Emmett slowly turned to face him. "You kept me busy at the hospital so they could follow me."

"I'm sorry about that, Emmett," Jasper did not know that his efforts to thwart Emmett would bring the others out to confront him and since he did not see them at the bistro they must have known that the shop was the likely destination. He played along. "But we are worried about you."

The others nodded in agreement. "Vampires aren't like us, Emmett. They can hear us a mile away and, if there were one here, we would all be dead by now."

Emmett shook his head. "You would have been dead," he fumed. "I would have gotten her." He left in a hurry and the other doctors scurried after. Jasper called out to him but it was partly for show. Sure, he wanted to talk longer but he also knew that calling his name loudly would convince Emmett to give up on that location at least for the night.

When Jasper walked to the theatre he found Edward, Bella and Alice standing at the lobby doors. Alice ran into his arms and jumped up as he walked toward the building. "They think its Alice alright," he said setting her down next to Bella. "I'm positive of it now."

"What do we do?" Bella asked.

"Alice moves tonight," Jasper replied stiffly.

"She can stay with us," Edward offered.

"No," Jasper said. "I want her with me." He turned to face Alice. "That is if you would like to."

"I like your place," Alice had seen where Jasper slept. It was very clean, although damp, and was big enough for her to relocate her things until the move to New York. "But I have to tell my clients, warn some of them even."

"How many appointments do you have pending?" Jasper asked.

Alice thought about it. "One tonight and two tomorrow but that's all."

"I'll stay with her for all three of them," Edward said.

"Me too," Bella added.

Jasper was distressed. Edward could hear a hundred avenues of thought being pursued.

Edward had known Jasper's thoughts to disappear in a fog from time to time but now he could hear each and every one. The man had a fast brain and could calculate massive amounts of information. He listened to a hurricane of fears and touched his friend on the shoulder as Alice spoke.

"Don't forget that we are aware of the threat and trained to defeat it." She reminded him, using his own words to prove her point. "A human must have surprise on his side and that is now impossible."

This statement did wonders for Jasper. It was exactly what he needed to hear to calm his nerves and put the whole matter into perspective. It was Emmett, after all. He was as subtle as a heart attack and Alice had proven her skills against vampire opponents.

"We'll all help Alice move her things tonight," Edward decided. "Jacob will be back soon and we can use the carriage."

"I'm not taking the big stuff, "Alice said. "Jasper has a bed and the wardrobe kind of goes with the place."

"That should make things easy," Jasper joked, feeling better.

"I will still need to clear out the top floor though," Alice stated.

Jasper suddenly felt worse. That was a lot of dresses for Notre Dame.

Alice had to turn away Tanya when she showed up for an appointment that evening. They were all just beginning the move but Alice was happy to finally have the chance to introduce her new friend.

There was nothing outwardly offensive about her but they all hated her just the same.

Alice thought she was nice.

Alice told Tanya that she was closing the shop for good to focus on a private wedding. She did not have a lot of business at the shop anyhow so she was not heartbroken. There was still a sense of loss, however, along with a growing resentment that a puny human was forcing the decision, even though they had successfully defended themselves against three vampires.

She was allowed to sleep there at least. Even Jasper had to admit that it was one of the most secure chambers in the city and had even joined her for an early slumber. He had to leave at dawn, however, to get to the hospital before the air lit up with flakes of yellow bloom. He kissed Alice and reminded her that she would hear Jacob moving about all that day.

As usual, Jacob had been a huge help all that evening. He made short work of Alice's personal belongings, getting the whole lot over to Notre Dame in three trips and when daylight broke over the horizon he went to get Rosalie. They spent the morning taking load after load of dresses across the river. Esme had even been dropped off later in the day to clean one of the many anterooms for the dresses to be stored in until Alice could sell or use them.

As soon as Rosalie's mom joined them, both women worked together. Jacob made the last few trips to the dress shop by himself. One of the times he came back into Notre Dame with an armload of fabrics and strings of beads both women ganged up on him for details of Edward's proposal to Bella the day before.

Jacob told them to ask Bella themselves and quickly went back to work.

* * *

At the hospital, Emmett was in a surprisingly good mood. Worse, he was smug.

Jasper asked him about his night and was met with a thin smile. "We spotted her last night," he said with a superior air. "She crossed our path just after we left you but we lost her almost right away."

"What does that mean?" Jasper asked.

"That she'll be back." Emmett was convinced that his service to God was rewarded with a sign and he was more determined than ever to slay the slippery fox.

Jasper could see that Emmett was not going to stop until someone stopped him. It was not like Emmett had a death wish but that only made the whole situation worse. He honestly believed that he could succeed and that filled Jasper with pity.

Carlisle was also there that day, one of his last at Val de Grace, and was the only member of the group that Emmett did not jeer at. Carlisle kept to himself since accepting Bella's job offer much to the relief of Jacob, Edward and himself. Whenever he was around that day, everyone focused on the task at hand and even Emmett welcomed the change of rhetoric.

Emmett's piety lasted for a full week. When Carlisle ended his shift on his last day, Emmett practically ran out the doors. The excitement did not last long, however, because he could not find her anymore. Jasper followed Emmett out every night. His choice of places to look for her ranged from the frighteningly spot on, to the wildly off base. Jasper took solace in the fact that there was no hope Emmett would find her either way.

Alice was keeping herself busy at Notre Dame all week. And she had been very busy. Jasper's private rooms were now transformed into pristine and bright affairs. She had even helped him organize his shelves upon shelves of jars and containers.

Another week went by and the Cullens were getting ready to leave for New York City.

The papers had regaled the moment when a fifteen year old Irish girl and her two brothers first walked through the newly built immigration entry port on Ellis Island. And it seemed that America had its arms open wide for anyone who wanted a chance to start again.

Emmett had gone back to his secretive skulking and Jasper had even stopped following him. It had become obvious that he had scrapped his methods and was starting from scratch. Emmett began focusing instead on churches.

Jasper figured that Emmett would stay out of trouble in the houses of worship and refocused his attentions on assisting the Cullens with their final preparations for the journey overseas.

Jacob packed the carriage for the trip to La Harve a day early despite the growing ache in knowing that he would be away from Rosalie for half a year. They both agreed that her going was an amazing opportunity and that she would be instrumental in the completion of a difficult marriage of glass and stone, but that did not make it any less difficult to say goodbye.

Rosalie worked hard in the weeks leading up to their departure and had been the one to come up with the best method of securing the hundreds of special windows into place. While Jacob was toiling with waxes and clays, she used the substance that had enjoyed a boom in France since Goodyear perfected a weather proof version in the eighteen thirties.

Rubber.

She cut long strips of it and showed Jacob how she would accomplish both a secure fit for the heavy glass and an insulated interior. He was impressed yet again with her clever solutions to difficult problems.

Carlisle took his wife out for a long dinner on their last night in Paris. They toured around like they had never seen the city before and mourned its inevitable absence in their lives. The excitement, however, of going to what had already been called the greatest city in the world had its appeal and they talked louder and louder with each glass of wine, discussing the things they would see.

While they were out, Rosalie snuck Jacob back into the Cullen house. They had never made love in her bed and she was not going to miss the perfect opportunity to christen it. They were playful with one other but took advantage of the comfort that had heretofore not been afforded to them, except for their time in Versailles.

The following day was January 10th and Jacob had to get everyone to the coast in time for the _La Bretagne_ to sail by the second high tide late that evening. Bella had continued her correspondence and had secured a master mason and an enthusiastic glass smith to begin work on her acquired plot of land as soon as Carlisle took possession of it.

The mason had replied that he could complete the job easily by June if he were allowed to employ forty-five men. Bella told him to find sixty.

She had craftsmen already starting on the twelve hundred plus seats in the auditorium and curtains were being discussed at the moment. Bella liked the sapphire but Edward had always preferred red. Furthermore, Bella liked Roman ruffles but Edward liked a more natural drape. They had time to decide, of course, but she was now glad that he had nothing to do with the wedding design.

There was not enough room in the carriage for Bella and Edward to ride with his parents and sister to Le Havre so they flew instead. As a result, they could afford to leave much later than the horses. They left about four hours behind the carriage, which was a good thing since Jacob left Paris late in the afternoon.

Alice agreed to occupy herself with her findings in the theatre when they left and while Jasper was still at the hospital. She had some sewing to do and really wished she had gone to the cathedral. She hated the idea that she was not free to take care of herself.

She stayed put for the time being.

Emmett was on the porch of the hospital when Jacob pulled up with the Cullens in tow, just setting out for Le Havre. Carlisle spent a moment saying goodbye to his friends while Jacob took the opportunity to duck inside to have a word with Jasper. Jacob found him deep within the hospital and the two men found a quiet corner.

"I wanted to let you know that we just left Alice. She's at the theatre and said she would stay there until you return."

"That's alright," Jasper said cheerily. "Emmett just got here anyway. He will be on rotation until midnight."

"Oh good," Jacob said relieved. "I had the feeling that she wasn't going to stay put."

"She's fine," Jasper reassured. "Believe me, I've heard the argument. Besides, Emmett has followed the vampire he's interested in and Alice says it can't be her." He shrugged his shoulders.

"It can't be any vampire I know," Jacob added.

"My thoughts exactly," Jasper said. "I'm more worried about him than Alice these days."

"Good point," Jacob laughed. He liked Emmett despite his obvious attraction to Rosalie. He could hardly blame him for that and he was certain that the brash doctor was chatting up his girl at that very moment.

He was.

"You are going to love America," Emmett said to Rosalie as they stood outside on the grand columned porch of the wide hospital with Carlisle, Esme and several gathered doctors and well-wishers. They were only a few blocks from the river and they could all see down Rue Dauphine to the bridge that led to one of two islands in the middle of the river. Notre Dame was a tall but forgotten tombstone and still managed to decorate the lavish private homes all around it.

Emmett had heard stories of vampires killing the rich and taking over their lives and had started visiting churches at night, thinking that the rule of the wealthy was to worship and, even in pretense, it was a necessity. He was looking for people who did not show the proper respect befitting their clothes or know the vespers very well.

It was another dead end, however, and so he convinced himself that vampires could not go into churches at all.

Emmett was now focused on those houses and the lurking imposters that most certainly lived at the other end of the Pont Neuf but then smiled brightly as he turned to Carlisle.

"I'm a little jealous to be honest." He was thinking about being on a ship with Rosalie for a week but did not lend voice to it.

Most of the other doctors had been overseas, including Emmett, and they all had advice to spare. One story topped the other until Rosalie finally interrupted them and insisted that when her family returned, their tale would be a veritable pageant of legend, humor, bravery, and the manipulation of time and space itself.

Her words were countered with confused blinking.

Carlisle and Esme were the only ones who laughed.

Some of the group began filtering away after that and, when asked if Edward was going with them, Carlisle explained that he had commitments that would keep him in Paris for the duration of their trip.

"Will he be staying at the house?" Emmett asked.

"He lives with Bella now," Rosalie responded simply.

"Great. I'll look them up."

"I'm sure you will be invited to the wedding, Emmett," Esme mentioned. "Bella is sending the invitations herself and there are barely a dozen people on the list as it is."

"I think she likes it that way," Rosalie elaborated. "When she's not performing, she's shy."

Esme nodded her head. "Edward's the same way."

"So you will be back in time for the wedding?" Emmett asked.

"Oh yes," Carlisle said proudly. "With the right people we will have the theatre up and be home by mid July."

"The wedding is late October," Esme announced.

"That leaves a little extra time for setbacks," Emmett said. "Good planning."

"That's right," Carlisle agreed, as puffed up as a pigeon. "And Bella has even authorized more workers since I set that time table so I'm very optimistic."

When Jacob emerged from the hospital, they left in a flurry of hugs and waves and were out of sight in a breeze. Rosalie rode up front with Jacob. Sunset was still a few hours away and her blonde hair glowed in the wet rays of light.

Emmett remained on the porch for a while longer looking at the houses across the river.

* * *

When Bella and Edward flew that night, they held each other tightly as if they were the ones saying goodbye. The wind pulled at their hair as they spent as much time as they could kissing with ravenous lips.

Edward loved to close his eyes and let the air take his breath away as his lips found Bella's. Her soft curls of hair would rise and fall in great clumps and he wrapped his legs around hers pressing his body closer to his soaring lover.

Edward sang in her ear on their way. Little French songs, _petites chansons,_ made her laugh with their occasional wit but mostly she laughed because his breath would tickle her when he laughed. Edward often chuckled at his own jokes and Bella found the habit adorable. The problem was, she would laugh at his laugh and he would think she was laughing at his joke thereby encouraging him to tell more jokes. The cycle made Bella's belly hurt that evening as they streaked beneath the stars.

When they landed on the docks at the mouth of the English Channel, they were cold but had a few moments until they were joined by Jacob and the rest of Edward's family. They drank cider with a new acquaintance, the captain of the _La Touraine_, who gave Bella good news by way of letter that her land in Manhattan had been cleared and smoothed by the four Italian brothers she hired to ready the site for construction.

The captain was a weathered man with a bushy white beard that caught ice crystals when he was on deck. They called him Diamond Beard and he was known for a kind heart and a keen eye. He reported clear dry weather for the _La Bretagne_'s journey and even accompanied them to her deck where he had business with its captain before it set sail.

His kind nature was on display, as usual, and he invited them aboard as his guests for a proper introduction to the other captain who would ferry Edward's entire family across the Atlantic.

Bella just wanted to see a ship of that size. Most of her boating days involved oars.

The two captains were friends, Diamond Beard plumb with age and his counterpart lean and wiry. The introduction was warm and Edward and Bella were even offered a glass of brandy to celebrate the heavenly weather. "Clear skies and clear eye," declared Diamond Beard as he downed what would not be his only libation of the evening. He still had two days in port.

The captain of the _La Bretagne_ was younger, a stern man who defiantly did not partake in the drinks he was offering. He was quiet, observant, and immediately taken with Bella. His facade melted within moments of her first words and, by the time Jacob's carriage arrived at the dark wet docks, the Cullens had been moved to the best quarters next to his own. Bella did not hypnotize him, she charmed him, but began thinking about the power she would have when they made their journey overseas. Edward's eyes brightened at her revelation.

The goodbyes were short as the conversation and introduction to Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie put the young captain a touch off schedule as he found Rosalie so engaging that he did not wait for a steward, but instead took her bags himself.

Edward smiled as he heard the captain's thoughts upon lifting one particularly heavy suitcase.

_The lass has packed a bag of bricks._

The look of shock on his face was visible to all and Jacob turned away to hide his wide grin. Edward knew that the man's guess was not too far off. Thick glass samples were actually a little heaver than bricks.

The Cullens walked Edward, Bella, Jacob, to the boarding ramp and traded hugs all around. Even Diamond Beard could not escape Esme's grasp as he also followed them off the departing ship. They agreed that Carlisle would send a letter twice a month with any French bound ship. He was to address it to Bella but in care of the Le Havre dock captain.

On their way back to the carriage, Bella introduced herself and her companions to the aforementioned dock captain and made him a proposition that brightened his weary and frigid evening considerably.

Bella was looking forward to a long warm ride home but Jacob was no longer with her as she left the dock captain's company. He had gone back to the ship and was holding Rosalie in a quiet but strong embrace. As they held each other, Rosalie vowed the same bi-monthly update on business and amour alike.

Jacob whispered to her, telling Rosalie to look for Mars and that he would be there waiting for her. Then he kissed her one last time and bounded down the ramp that was being rattled by two of the ship's crew as a warning to vamoose.

Jacob was quiet during the ride home. The sky was an audience of stars so he kept a brave face even for them but it was little more than a mask. Bella and Edward spoke of how they could possibly make the six day journey across the ocean without exposing themselves.

It was just the sort of conversation Jacob would normally love but he was too busy thinking.

_This is just the sort of conversation Rosalie would love. _

Edward had a déjà vu moment when Jacob's thought was altered then repeated to him. He told Bella that Jacob's interest was piqued but it was not enough to coax him into the conversation save for direct questions.

The moon was just a sliver and it made the stars seem brighter than ever. Bella loved looking up as they rode, liking it even better when Edward was kissing her.

"I heard that," he whispered, holding her gaze.

"I know," Bella replied.

They both knew that they would have to restrain themselves for Jacob's sake. It was the least they could do for his long ride home.

Alone.

* * *

At the hospital, Emmett passed Jasper in the hall several times and wound up on the front porch together late in the evening. Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie would have just been boarding the ship somewhere northwest of him as he looked up at the timid moon.

Most of the doctors out on the porch were smoking but Jasper just wanted the fresh air.

Emmett took the opportunity to glare at the chateaus across the Seine.

"Are the trauma patients all patched up then?" Jasper asked.

"Sure are," Emmett replied. "It's actually been a slow day. I think the Christmas mishaps have officially slowed down."

This statement was met with general approval from the smoking doctors, one of whom asked Jasper about the homicides.

"They keep bringing them down," Jasper said, "and thanks for the assist, Alonzo." A very old, very Italian doctor a few feet away waved in acknowledgement as he continued his discussion about his scheduling woes.

Emmett and Jasper listened as he tried to find someone to cover a shift later in the week. Jasper tried to help whenever he could but he was already working that particular day. Emmett did not appear to be considering it at all. He was staring at the bridge.

Jasper mixed with his fellow doctors well. He enjoyed the gentlemanly conversation but only stayed for a short time. He was almost done for the day and wanted to return to Alice. He excused himself and went back downstairs.

Emmett took the cigarette that was offered to him and let the night air rush into his mouth after he puffed out the harsh smoke. The large porch of the hospital crouched over his head but he craned his neck to see the scrap of a moon.

His gaze went back to the bridge and his eyes widened. He turned to the doctor who was still speaking.

"Are you leaving now, Alonzo?" Emmett suddenly asked, unconsciously touching the machete at his back.

"Yes, I'm on my way home," he answered.

"If you complete my rounds tonight I'll work that shift for you," Emmett offered quickly.

"How many patients?" Alonzo asked suspiciously. It was a good offer as long as there was not a catch.

Emmett flipped through the papers on his springboard. All the doctors had one by then.

"Five."

"Deal."

Before any of them knew it, Emmett was running down the street in the direction of the Ile de la Cite_._

Jasper was across the main hall. A hundred voices were already between him and Emmett so he did not hear a thing. He went down to the morgue and stayed there.

* * *

Emmett was not nervous and that scared him slightly. Jasper had convinced him that attempting to stalk her would result in giving himself away. Actually, what he told Emmett was that he was damn lucky to still be alive and so his plan was to act normal until he caught up to her. Then he would strike with everything he had.

She was all the way across the river when Emmett arrived at the bridge. He listened to the water lap up against the weathered supports as he jogged along the stone surface.

She was as beautiful, as ever, and the resemblance was uncanny. He had been working his imagination overtime during the last few weeks remembering every detail and now realized his poor recollection. It was his attraction to her that made him positive that God had sent him to cleanse the streets of such evil creatures. He followed her progress for a short while but lost her as she weaved her way through the island's neighborhoods.

But he knew she would have to cross back.

Emmett decided to wait on the bridge for as long as it took. When she passed close to him on the narrow walkway, he would make his move.

The Seine was lazy that night. It usually was in winter. Emmett took out his machete and held it under his coat next to his leg. He was eager, but jumpy, as the minutes stretched by and he worried that he would have to find a place to relieve himself before she arrived.

He did not have to wait for long.

When he heard her shoes ring out on the bridge, Emmett froze. He was not the only person standing on the bridge and looking at the river that night so he was confident that he would not appear conspicuous but he was careful not to look at her.

She drew closer and he tightened his grip on the large knife in his sweaty hand.

She was walking fast, as though she was in a hurry, and did not appear to pay attention to him. He did not so much as breathe as she passed him but he turned and struck the moment he was out of her peripheral vision. His machete struck home on the side of her neck slicing off much of her fair hair in the process. She turned as the blade bit into her flesh and her movement almost finished the job of decapitating her.

Almost.

She locked her pain and rage filled eyes on Emmett's. She was injured, badly, but not dead and that meant that it was her fight to win now.

* * *

Jasper had once told Edward and Bella that vampires were just as weak as humans.

He told them all that it was their speed and healing powers which enabled them to survive so well. He instilled in them a healthy fear that they were just as vunerable to blades and bullets as any human.

Jasper was stretching the truth.

Jacob was the only one to call his theory into question but he did so in private while they were devising training sessions. Jacob had lived with a vampire for a long time and had seen her in battle. He reasoned that in order for their bodies to withstand the speed at which they could travel, as well as the force they could exert, that they would have to have equal strength or they would pulverize themselves with their own energy.

He was right, of course. Vampires were tough but, as Bella could attest, they were not strong enough to stop a bullet. Jasper led them to value their lives more by playing up their vulnerabilities and Jacob had let him. It did no harm and, if one stopped to think about it, the whole thing made perfect sense. One of them would be pleasantly surprised sooner or later and, if that was the worst of it, then so much the better.

The truth was that vampires had skin like thin steel, flesh like tough leather and bones like stone.

A human had very little chance at defeating one.

Jasper told himself this over and over as he completed his work cataloguing one Jacque Doe after another. It was when Dr. Alonzo arrived at the morgue with one of Emmett's charges that Jasper felt a prickling on his forearms and his mouth dry up like paper.

"Where is Dr. McCarty?" Jasper asked him calmly.

"Halfway to Switzerland," came the jovial reply.

"Pardon me?" Jasper was under control, but worry shot up his spine like electricity.

It was not unlike the moment Jacob experienced prior to Edward's shooting.

"Last I saw of him, he was sprinting toward the river, but that was…" The doctor took great time pulling out his pocket watch and then could not seem to get it open. He tried several times before putting his own springboard down and making the attempt with the other hand. When he did finally get it open, he squinted at it for several moments and then started searching his pockets for his glasses.

Closing the pocket watch in the process.

He got his glasses on and managed to open the pocket watch once more with just as much fumbling, before squinting even harder into the face of the small round clock.

"…almost an hour ago."

He looked up and looked around the room. Dr. Alonzo took off his reading glasses and looked around the room again.

Jasper was gone.

* * *

Emmett's blade sank deep into the beautiful vampire's neck and stayed there.

He knew he was going to die the moment his blade stopped but, to his credit, he accepted this fate as God's will and vowed to do as much damage as he could on his way out.

She grabbed the blade and screamed as she pulled it away from her body. Blood spattered the pretty white stone surface of the Pont Neuf. Everyone near them screamed and ran in both directions. Emmett tried to run as well but he heard the clatter of the blade on the ground and felt an iron grip on his bicep.

She dragged him by the arm like a disobedient child and motioned for him to pick up his blade. Her throat was whistling and she could not talk.

Emmett could not believe his luck. He ran to the machete and, when he bent down, she kicked him in the chest. He felt most of the ribs on his left side break as well his lung caving in. His heart screamed in pain and so did he as he flew backwards and hit his head on the bridge wall.

Emmett closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he could tell that some time had passed. She was on the other side of the walkway, leaning against the opposite wall with the machete in her hand. Her wound was ghastly and that fueled Emmett to fight on despite his own sour pain. He knew that he would only have so much time before he lost the chance to take advantage of her injuries.

When she held the machete out to him, he remained seated, making no attempt to reach for it. Instead, he began slowly reaching under his coat. She watched carefully as he pulled a small dagger from his right side and promptly dropped it to the ground. It made a loud noise as it rattled on the stone.

He then reached into his coat again and she watched curiously as he pulled out what she thought was some kind of horn.

* * *

Jasper ran toward the river and it felt like he was pulling his heart by a chain.

He knew that one way or another he was not going to like what he discovered. He immediately saw people fleeing from the bridge and knew that he was out of time. There were people everywhere, forcing him to run at a frustratingly slow human speed. As many of the witnesses were panicked and running in the opposite direction, however, Jasper took some liberties out in the open as he sprinted down the Rue Dauphine.

It still took him several minutes to reach his destination and, when he reached the edge of the bridge, he saw just how close he had come to preventing the whole thing.

Emmett was sitting on the ground with his back against the railing and holding something Jasper knew well. It was the Christmas present he had just given Emmett when Carlisle refused to let his daughter take a firearm to New York.

The blunderbuss.

"Emmett! No!" Jasper was sure his voice carried across the river because the vampire turned to the sound of his voice. Emmett did not. She exposed her neck wound to Emmett's line of sight and the gun fired with a tremendous bang.

The result was devastating.

From his seated position, Emmett hit her with a blast that tore her head off and deposited it in the river with a small plop. Her body fell over the edge as well and the flat splash came to Jasper as he streaked across the bridge.

"What have you done?" Jasper demanded, as he ran up and looked from the blood spilling from Emmett's mouth to the empty bridge railing where a vampire once stood.

Emmett's heart was as crushed as his lung and his eyes fluttered open as if he had dozed off again.

Emmett went into it with God's will in mind, ready to die if that is what was needed, but now with his foe slain it was his own will that he concerned himself with.

"Save me, Jasper," he managed to squeak out.

Jasper looked down at his doomed friend and shook his head. "You don't want me to do that, Emmett."

"She looked like Rosalie."

"I know she did," Jasper said tenderly. Emmett was fading fast.

"Please save me, Jasper." Emmett's eyes were coals of pleading determination and maybe it was because Jasper knew that Alice was safe that he spoke the words.

"It is only because you asked me to, that I will now save you, Emmett McCarty." Jasper spoke the words gravely. "But it is a curse you are inheriting my friend."

With that he swept Emmett up in his arms and ran towards Notre Dame.

* * *

On their way home from Le Havre, Jacob, Bella and Edward passed the headless body of Tanya as she floated to the ocean.

Her head was on the bottom the Seine river next to the Pont Neuf.

Her eyes were still blinking.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**The bad news comes first. I will be without my Beta for the next week and so I will not be posting next Saturday (although I will be writing like a mad man). **

**Chapter 26 will update on Saturday, August 28****th****.**

**Good news, however, if you are a member of Team Bella Voce. You will be receiving your FGB outtake instead. It will be delivered by our team captain, April, next Saturday.**

**I expect this will be the final delay in my regular posting schedule between now and the end of the story at Chapter Thirty. I am preparing to return to the real life stage in two productions this fall - Opera Comique and The Rocky Horror Picture Show – and have to wrap up Bella Voce in order to focus on these new projects.**

**Finally, I would like to recommend a one shot that I enjoyed reading this week. It is written by two friends of mine, SydneyTwiMum and Ladybugs_mum, who were supporters of Bella Voce from the beginning. The one shot is entitled "Game On" and they are writing under the pen name of ****Kahlua and Milk on FF.**

**Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing and recommending my story. **

**MOG**


	26. Chapter 26: Devil Is In The Details

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**And it's a good thing too because there seems to be some interest in the book series and, if I were her, I might just consider writing some additional novels to cash in.**

**Or at very least explain to my pal, Morgan, and all his friends why I named one of the characters, **_**Renesmee**_**. And, if that wasn't bad enough, gave her a nickname that was even worse, **_**Nessie**_**! **

**I hope all you writers go out and thank your betas tonight for talking you out of your most quasi-doofus ideas.**

**Which reminds me….**

**Thank you, Jennifer, for not letting me use the word**_ bumbags_** in this chapter.**

**(Can you tell that I had two weeks to come up with this disclaimer?)**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six:**

**Devil Is In The Details**

Notre Dame Cathedral towered over the houses on the _Isle de la Cité_ in the middle of the Seine River. Its white stone walls spread outward like a ghost with broad shoulders. Jasper carried Emmett into the sanctuary and placed him on the same alter that supported Alice on the night they met.

Jasper could not believe what he was considering. It simply was not like him but, since meeting Alice and becoming friends with Bella, Jacob and the Cullens, he found that he had compassion where previously there had been none. He discovered something else as well.

He had a soft spot for Emmett McCarty.

Jasper took his coat off and opened Emmett's shirt to examine his injuries. His chest was smooth but distorted with the broken bones underneath. He was not breathing well and he had begun swallowing a lot. Jasper saw his chance. He sliced open his wrist by dragging it along one of the two blades at his back, just like he had done with Alice, but this time he hesitated.

He wished Alice would disobey orders and show up to talk him out if this. Emmett was likely to take the news poorly given his religious ties and his predisposition to vampires in general but Jasper found arguments around those observations.

_Bella was a nun,_ he thought to himself, _and who wouldn't have an aversion to us?_

Clearly, he already knew he was going through with it.

Jasper was not a religious man but, there in a dark and forgotten church, as he fed his own blood to his dying friend lying on the alter, he recited a prayer.

_God, please take Emmett if that's your will but, if you leave him here, I promise to care for him. He will be frightened and angry, of that I am sure. So please give me the strength to help him adjust. And please give me the strength to not use strength. Amen._

Jasper was surprised to hear Emmett mutter 'Amen' between gulps. Emmett hardly was aware of what he was hearing but was nevertheless responding to the familiar word as he dipped in and out of consciousness.

Jasper did not bother with older blood from his cellar as his was quite powerful already. He did not need to use a needle to push blood into Emmett's veins because he remained alive for almost ten minutes after Jasper fed him.

As far as Jasper had been able to piece together, both as a vampire and a doctor, if vampire blood was introduced to the system of a healthy human, they would be transformed into a vampire within one day. If that person were close to death and therefore susceptible to the poison, the process could take several hours less.

Edward had been lucky. He was clinically dead when Jasper arrived at the theatre and it was the heart compressions and the intravenous introduction of multiple vampire blood donors that allowed him to complete the transformation Bella had started.

Jasper had also seen plenty of healthy humans tricked into ingesting vampire blood and fall into a deep sleep only to wake up to a perpetual night. He was one of them and he sincerely believed it was the worst way to be turned.

He did not have the gift of unconsciousness Emmett had been blessed with. Jasper remembered screaming his lungs out to an unsympathetic plantation house in Kentucky. He was awake for every brutal moment until his heart stopped. The memory of it still nauseated him.

The memory of killing Victoria was no better and that one carried physical scars from the unsympathetic Kentucky sun.

Jasper thought about the implications of being Emmett's sole maker. Jasper had not seen the golden sparks that marked the unique relationship coming from his own eyes since Irina. That was another memory that nauseated Jasper.

Time would tell if this one would do the same.

Jasper moved Emmett to the crypt downstairs. It had body sized holes in the walls as well as several raised cement slabs. Jasper carefully laid his still friend down in one of the catacombs and risked dashing out to fetch Alice from the theatre. He had never known any vampire to wake up before twenty hours but was a nervous wreck the whole time he was away.

He knocked on the lobby doors and was quickly greeted and embraced by his Alice. She was all smiles in her light blue princess dress because Jasper was an hour earlier than she had expected.

"We have to go to Notre Dame right now," Jasper told her but, never a man to cause unnecessary panic, added, "You don't need your weapons, just come with me."

Alice nodded. She understood it was one of those situations where she would simply have to trust and follow. All would be explained when they got to where they needed to be.

Alice thought that Jasper was running pretty fast, even for a vampire. He was keeping to the long shadows but would have only looked like a streak to any human out for a late evening stroll. He leaped effortlessly across streets and Alice could not help but be impressed when he did the same over the river.

It was amazing. He truly and completely, with room to spare on both banks, jumped over the Seine. When he landed, he kept running like it was nothing.

Jasper was getting stronger.

When Alice entered the dark chamber of the cathedral a few moments behind him, she heard his voice at the other end of the building.

"We're down here," came his distant words and Alice froze.

_Someone else is here?_

She walked slowly over to the door located left of the alter that led into the sacristy. She continued through it, walking across the wooden trapdoor of the cellar and into a tiny room that housed only the door to the crypt stairs. That door was open and Jasper was sitting half way down the stone steps.

"Jasper, what's going on?" Alice sounded alarmed.

"Emmet McCarty is dead," Jasper said thickly. The act of running seemed to heighten his emotion and when he looked down at the body in the crypt and saw how small his friend looked, he was compelled to weep.

Alice caught on quickly. "Did you turn him?"

Jasper nodded.

"On purpose?" Alice asked.

"No. He killed a vampire on the bridge and she made him regret it. I got there as it was ending."

"She?"

Jasper knew the woman. He had met her several times, in fact, and had even once been warned by Alice, who was quite jealous of her beauty, to stay a way from the blonde beauty.

"It was Tanya," he admitted.

"Emmett killed Tanya?" Alice yelled. Her voice scattered throughout the church and the last echo to return to the stairwell was her one word question, "How?"

Jasper did not want to provide her with the details but did so.

"He used the blunderbuss I gave him for Christmas."

"Oh, God." Alice had seen Jasper shoot the gun once before and what came out was a foot of flame and a mile of jagged metal bits. She imagined her beautiful friend dying that way and suddenly wanted to spit on the man who did that to her.

"Why did you turn him, Jasper?" She was still shouting. "It could have been me he shot! With YOUR gun!"

Jasper stood up and walked down into the crypt, Alice followed closely, stomping. He had long ago moved the skeletons and cleaned the nooks carved into the walls, Emmett was lying in the opening Jasper usually slept in, with his arms folded over his chest.

"If he had killed you, I would have choked the life out of him myself," Jasper spoke quietly. He walked over and looked into the smooth face of the man he would claim eternal responsibility for. "I don't really know why I did it," he said honestly, "but he will need a lot of help when he wakes up."

Jasper turned toward Alice. "I have a feeling that he is going to be a handful."

* * *

Jacob had a great deal on his mind as he drove his carriage back to Paris.

Le Havre was vanishing on the horizon behind him and he was already lonely. Not only was he dealing with the knowledge that he would not see his love for at least half a year, but he was using that sorrow to dig a hole he could hide in when he would one day be without her forever.

Edward saw deep into Jacob's mind as they rode home and he pictured it as a great mountain range that Jacob dug mine shafts into. Only instead of pulling things out, he hid things away.

Edward began to follow Jacob down into one of those shafts when attempts to engage him in conversation failed. His hand rested securely on Bella's leg and her hand was placed over his. Edward wanted to have contact with someone if he was going to venture into the unknown territory of Jacob's mind. His own sense of loss and worry for his family was traded for the journey with Jacob. Edward found that Jacob went into the darkness without a compass. Sometimes, he ventured into the wrong tunnels before he found the one he wanted. Many regrets were visited unnecessarily.

When Edward began to feel cold as he plunged deeper into Jacob's engulfing labyrinth of loathing, he was gripped with panic. The tunnels suddenly filled with water and pushed him deeper into the dark square cave.

Bella had seen something wrong on Edward's face and offered her words as a beacon. He transformed into a kind of ghost when he head her speak and moved though the flesh of the mountain until he was in a green pool of sky that shimmered with her voice.

"Edward? This way Edward." Bella was guiding him. "I'm right here."

Edward opened his eyes. He was rattled. "Jacob?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes?" Jacob's voice was more muffled now that the new windows were installed. The venting system that Rosalie had devised now brought his reply in through the holes under the benches.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, unable to hide his concern.

Jacob laughed humorlessly. "It hasn't even been an hour," he responded, "I won't fall apart for another week. I promise." Jacob sounded convincing, and his surface thoughts confirmed his stability, but Edward dreamt about those mines for a month.

* * *

When the trio arrived at the theatre and found it empty, Jacob nodded his head expectantly as they stood on the polished lobby floor.

"Alice can't stay put," he laughed.

"It's late," Bella said. "Maybe Jasper has already come by."

"That must be it," Jacob agreed, remembering his conversation at the hospital earlier that afternoon. "We probably just missed him too."

"What do you want to do tonight?" Edward asked them, eager for a distraction.

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a little hungry."

"Me too," Edward realized.

Jacob slapped his head. "I was with Jasper before we left and I didn't grab the skins."

"It's alright," Bella reassured him. "You have a lot on your mind."

Edward nodded his head. "I wouldn't mind taking a walk over the river."

"I'll go with you," Bella chirped.

"Me too." Jacob added. What he really wanted to do was pour over his theatre plans one more time to see if he had any corrections to send Rosalie but he also liked the idea of stretching his legs and getting something to eat himself.

"Let's meet back here in five minutes," Bella suggested. She wanted to change her shoes and have a private conversation with Edward.

Jacob took the opportunity to run upstairs to his quarters, happy to get a tiny look at those plans after all. Bella swept through the auditorium doors and down the aisle. When they reached their bedroom, she went for the shoes first but returned to Edward and spoke with her mind. Her eyes were on his as she stroked his hair.

_What's going on with Jacob? _

Edward honestly did not know how to interpret what he saw. It was visual, visceral even, and he had to remind himself that Jacob had been conscious for almost four hundred years now. Who knew what defenses his mind developed to cope without sensory rest? And who was Edward to assume that he and Jacob even saw the same thing?

Edward smiled and gave her a gentle, but prolonged, kiss on her cool lips. When he took a step back, he was smiling genuinely. "I think I actually went into Jacob's mind," he began quietly, "and I don't think he knew I was there. Now if this is going to start happening to me, then you and I need to try again to make a better mental connection."

"What do you mean?"

"I can hear you, of course," he elaborated, "but, more than ever, you will need to be able to hear me."

"We tried that in San Sebastian," she reminded him.

"We were distracted in San Sebastian," Edward countered.

Bella nodded, she remembered well. "How do you want to approach it?"

Edward smiled. "I think we need to try the obvious."

"What does that mean?'

"I think you need to hypnotize me."

"I thought that didn't work on you?" Bella was confused.

"It doesn't, not involuntarily. But, if we both tried, I see no reason why it wouldn't work."

"Alright," Bella was thinking ahead, "but to what end? How does my hypnotizing you help?"

_Except for keeping you in line, _she thought.

Edward laughed. He liked it when Bella made jokes but his smile faltered. He did not have an answer to that question and he would need one. "Let's go up to meet Jacob and we'll think about it on the way."

Bella walked up the spiral staircase and Edward was pawing at her calves the whole way. She liked it when he was playful. It was why she made jokes.

They walked up to the lobby and waited for Jacob. Bella figured that he was absorbed in something or other and cleared her throat loud enough for the mice in the attic to hear.

Mice that Jacob was listening to at that very moment.

There were only three of them and they lived behind the walls his work tables ran along. They crossed from one side to the other through small holes and traveled over his floor. Each of them had eaten from his hand since Christmas. They left his fig tree alone and he kept them apprised of the new breads that came into the bakery next door. Jacob was listening to them and thinking about what he wanted to eat. It was an hour or so past midnight so he knew that the bakery was out. The earliest they ever got to enjoy fresh pastries was at about four in the morning and that was a full hour after the dough eyed men arrived each morning. He liked sitting on the pre-dawn streets with Bella and Edward before the vampire couple retired for the day but that was not an option this night.

Jacob was certain to find something along the river still open and serving food but his stomach screamed for flakey croissants and big crispy loaves with cheese melted over their tops. Jacob liked his cheese sharp enough to slice the bread for him.

He heard Bella announce her desire for him to hurry and he smiled. _At least_, he thought, _she didn't start singing soprano notes_. Jacob left his building plans on the table as he stood up. He had sent two copies with the Cullens. Rosalie and Carlisle each had all nine huge pages of his vision on big 30 by 30 sheets of heavy paper. Rosalie kept hers twice folded in her new leather satchel but Carlisle did not want his creased. In the end, Edward had given him the tube that held his camel skin periodic table for transport. Edward enjoyed displaying the table and had it draped over one of Bella's reading chairs. Jacob and he had quizzed each other over its contents a dozen times since he received the gift.

"I hope you two don't mind if we stop somewhere along the way for me to eat as well," Jacob said as he bounded down the stairs.

"Fine by me," Bella agreed and Edward just laughed off the request. He would not have it any other way.

When they walked out into the still night, what little moon there was had been taken hostage by a company of dark clouds. They turned toward the light breeze and followed it to the river, passing no one and hearing only the rumbling of Jacob's stomach.

The scene on the Seine was something Edward had often seen. Late night bistros with plenty of choices invited the famished farm boy. Bella and Edward each enjoyed a glass of champagne and Edward toasted his family's safe voyage. Jacob held up a glass of milk. As usual, his request for such a libation was met first with disbelief and then snickers. Jacob did not mind. He knew it was funny but he found it just plain delicious.

Jacob was soon served sliced pork on toasted bread sprinkled with parmesan cheese and several herbs. Sliced and boiled potatoes surrounded the entree. He took one look at the huge plate of food and immediately ordered another.

Edward was amazed at the amount of food the man could consume and, as always, he was offered a bite. Both Edward and Bella accepted because life is about tasting. They each drank a second glass of bubbly when the other plate arrived and, this time, Jacob toasted a successful mission in building a grand New York theatre.

They could see Notre Dame from their table and when Jacob had polished his second meal they set out across the river to provide the two vampires with their evening meal.

The Pont Neuf was a white skeleton arm that reached across the river to grant them passage on its boney surface. Bella ran her hand along the irregular surface of the stone railing as they crossed and came to a stop when she reached a single drop of blood. It was not fresh, but it was not old either. When she bent down to investigate, Jacob was right next to her. They quickly discovered with their noses that it was vampire's blood on the railing. And then they found much more of it spattered on the walkway.

Edward stood a few feet back, in the middle of the bridge, with his head cocked to the side. "I hear someone," he spoke slowly, like he wasn't sure if he was even being accurate. "Someone's thoughts….and she's cursing….I think it's German….no wait…" He scratched his head and looked all around them. "It could be Slovene but it's nearby."

Jacob and Bella both looked around. They were the only three beings on the bridge.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the vampire blood we found?" Bella asked, informing Edward of their discovery.

"Really?" Edward joined them at the railing. "That is interesting." He looked down at the water and saw only plumb purple and black swirls on the surface. Edward listened at the torrent of Germanic curse words that flooded his brain from a nearby but unknown source. He considered the river but could not bring himself to call out to whatever might be under there. He felt that it was just better to leave. "Whoever she is," he said as he started walking towards the cathedral, "she's very mad at someone."

When they approached the front door of the giant building, Alice and Jasper were just stepping outside. Jasper was chewing on a big cigar, a habit he picked up from fellow doctors recently. A habit Alice was determined to rid him of. They were not arguing but it was obvious that the conversation was tense. Jasper saw the trio of friends as he lit his hand rolled bundle from the island of Hispaniola_._

"I'm very glad you three are here," Jasper sounded relaxed, looked happy even, but Edward heard the canyon of doubt that his inner voice echoed in. "Emmett got himself killed a few hours ago, BUT…" Jasper anticipated and received three horrified gasps, "I…saved him."

Alice looked at Jasper, clearly wanting to support his difficult decision on the surface. She fully understood, however, that Edward was privy to mental additions to conversations. He clearly heard her thoughts.

_Bella is going to have to hypnotize Emmett. _

Edward knew that not only did Alice dislike the decision, but that he and she were thinking along very similar lines that evening.

"Do you think he's going to be trouble?" Edward asked them both. Alice smiled, knowing what primed the question.

"Yes, actually," Jasper said with a king's certainty. "We both suspect that he would be a great deal of trouble."

"What happened?" Jacob asked. "We saw vampire blood on the bridge. Is it yours?"

Jasper and Alice looked at each other. "I think you'd better come inside," Jasper sighed as he opened the door and held it until all of them strode past.

* * *

Emmett McCarty opened his eyes. He had been hearing voices for the past twenty minutes but had not figured out that he was alive or that those voices even existed outside his own mind.

He looked up at the catacomb he lay in. The stone was dusty and dark and he turned his head when he heard his name.

"Emmett! You're awake." Jasper rushed to his side. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Emmett shook his head, paused, and then shook his head again.

"You were almost dead when I found you, do you remember that?"

Emmett remembered only pain.

Bella was upstairs with Alice. The two women were discussing the wedding in Alice's freshly swept out sewing room. Edward was playing the pipe organ, toying with Handel's _Opus 6: concerti grossi__. _It was by far his favorite because it incorporated two earlier organ concertos, _The Cuckoo_ and _The Nightingale._ Both featured birdsong imitated in the upper registers of the organ and Edward filled the cathedral with tiny chirps until he heard Jasper. He stopped playing immediately and went downstairs.

It had been decided the evening before that everyone should be present when Emmett woke up, which true to form was almost exactly a full day after he drank Jasper's blood. They all gathered at nine o'clock the next night and waited patiently until after midnight before Emmett stirred.

Edward liked the way in which they chose to handle the initial awakening. He could still remember the taste of wicked fear and the frantic stab of hopelessness quite clearly. It was vital to Edward that Emmett felt safe in his waking moments.

The plan was simple. Jasper was to act as their spokesperson since he was Emmett's maker and oldest friend. Edward was to remain silent and listen to what Emmett was thinking in order to foresee and forestall any potential escape. As Edward walked into the crypt and met Emmett's eyes, he was thinking how glad he was that it was night time.

Alice and Bella were there for two reasons. First, they were to guard the stairs. Emmett was not to leave that room until all were convinced that he was alright. The second reason was to allow Bella the chance to hypnotize him before he became difficult.

Jacob was crouched in the corner. The muscle. He watched intently as Emmett swung his legs out and sat up. His head did not scrape the gray stone as he scooted himself forward to step down.

"Just sit for a moment, Emmett," Jasper instructed. "Don't try to stand just yet. I need to explain what happened to you."

"I know what happened to me," Emmett said. "It was a miracle."

Jasper laughed. He could not stop himself. Emmett was so innocent and he obviously did not fully understand what had transpired. If he truly had, he would not be calling it a miracle.

Emmett bristled at Jasper's laughter and, suddenly, Edward heard something that disturbed him greatly. It was the new vampire's thoughts. There was something different about them and Edward almost gasped when he realized what it was.

Emmett had two distinct voices in his head.

Edward listened in utter disbelief as Emmett listened in utter belief to a booming voice as it told him that his survival was indeed a miracle and that he had Jasper to thank for it. Emmett then thought in his own voice, asking a question.

_Why is Edward here? _

The booming voice answered promptly.

_**Why don't you ask him my son?**_

Emmett looked up at Bella, he had neither seen nor even heard of her despite her popularity in the theatre community or her connection to the Cullen household. When he looked at her face, however, he trusted her completely and fell in love with the dark curls of hair that nestled her beautiful angelic face. Her honey brown eyes glowed like twin suns through wood smoke.

Emmett opened his mouth slowly and asked her if she was an angel.

"No, Emmett. I am not," Bella said as she knelt down in front of him. "But I used to be a nun and I share your deep commitment to God." Bella dropped her head. "I failed for a long time, Emmett, and had forgotten my humanity in order to feed my existence but God sent Edward to me and I believe that he sent you here to us."

Upon hearing Bella's words, Edward could no longer hold his poker face. It was as if…

_I hear him Edward, _Bella thought, _but it's not like I expected. He sounds odd._

Edward immediately surmised that Bella was hearing only Emmett's 'God' voice and not the small voice that shared Emmett's human voice.

Bella took Emmett's hands. "Your life will be different from now on, Emmett, and we need you to listen closely to your good friend Jasper as he explains what happened to you."

Edward contemplated what had just taken place, he knew it was only a matter of time before Bella could hear into minds, but he wondered deeply about what it was that made this time so different. Was it the uniqueness of a new vampire with as yet undetected powers? Was it dementia? Was it God? Edward walked over to Bella and his movement drew Emmett's attention away from her and gave him his first good look at Alice.

_**Do not be frightened my son.**_

Bella and Edward both heard the advice but, oddly, it seemed that Emmett did not because he looked remarkably alarmed.

_Something spooked him, _Bella thought and Edward held up his hands. "We are all here to help you not hurt you, Emmett," he explained.

"What is she doing here?" Emmett said, his voice was nervous and volume escalated. "I know she's one of them. I've seen them together before!"

Jasper cleared his throat loudly. "Emmett, there are still some things we need to explain to you." Bella stood up and she and Edward stepped back to give Emmett some room.

_**You've been changed my son, **_the voice in Emmett's head theorized,_** that blonde vampire woman did this to you.**_

Emmett's eyes widened and he shot to his feet like a cork out of its bottle. "It is true?" he asked franticly. "Am I one of them?"

"One of us," Alice corrected the new vampire.

Emmett looked at them all,his vampire eyes were adjusting well, and he suddenly spotted Jacob crouched in the shadow that draped the corner of the crypt in tar. Emmett cried out in surprise but Jacob soothed him.

"It's just me, Emmett," Jacob said brightly staying down. It may have looked menacing, but not as much as the sight of him with his head scraping the low ceiling. "I'm just resting. We've been up all night worried about you."

_What's happening? _

_**Remain calm my son, let Jasper explain.**_

_Is this alright? Am I going to hell now? _

_**You can't go to hell, Emmett. You are in the palm of my hand.**_

_Everything looks different, smells different. And I can hear water dripping somewhere upstairs. _

_**Use these new powers to serve me and you will be on the right path.**_

Edward listened to every word as Emmett attempted to reason out his predicament. He heard the 'God' voice tell him over and over, not to be afraid.

_Well, at least this God is reasonable,_ Edward thought. Remembering her new power, Edward looked over at Bella to see if she could hear him now.

_Bella?Bella, can you hear me?_

She acknowledged nothing.

_Damn._

Edward wondered what it must be like for her, hearing only one half of the conversation going on in Emmett's brain. Something about this second voice made it easy for Bella to hear. Edward wondered about that as well as he heard Jasper talking to Emmett about the details of his last night as a human.

As the details were revealed, Emmett felt betrayed that they all had been hiding the truth from him from the beginning. He was also more than little stubborn when they pointed out that, since he was a self proclaimed vampire hunter, their best interests lied with lying to him.

Emmett looked at them all with disgust before looking down at himself with disgust.

_I can't do this. _

_**You are strong, Emmett, even stronger now. Cannot you feel the power in your hands? **_

_It's wrong. _

_**Would I have allowed this to happen to you if it was wrong, Emmett?**_

_No, but I'm some damned creature now. _

_**You are a creature, yes, but you are God's creature. You will do my will. **_

_I will._

Emmett soon reminded Bella of Alice on her first day as a vampire when she and Bella sat under a pile of clothes in the dress shop. He asked dozens of questions, trying to fathom his new existence.

"How strong am I?" Emmett asked.

"About five times stronger than you were," Jasper answered simply. "Maybe more. You will become stronger."

"How strong are you?" Emmett asked his maker.

"I'm twenty times stronger than a human," Jasper told him truthfully.

"Do I have to drink blood now?" Emmett already knew the answer but was compelled to ask the question.

"Yes."

_**It is communion my son. It is how I'll give you strength.**_

Bella outwardly flinched as she did not like the sound of that. "Emmett," she began, "we do not kill any humans unless they have earned their death. We must feed but we do so with justice or we find other ways."

"What other ways?" Emmett asked.

"I take blood from the hospital every day," Jasper confessed.

_**They are angels of death my son and so are you.**_

Edward was now the one who did not like what he heard. "Emmett," he said as he walked over to him, placing a hand on the confused vampire's shoulder, "we need you to let us tell you how to survive and teach you how to coexist with humans. Although you can serve a higher power as a vampire, you must obey the group."

Emmett laughed wildly. "I need to obey only God."

Edward was even more concerned but received Bella's thoughts before he could react to the declaration.

_Don't worry, Edward. I hypnotized him when I knelt down. He will do as I say._

To prove her point she immediately told Emmett to stop laughing and he promptly did just that. She then told him to put his hands over his ears and sing _Frère Jacques_, which he also did without hesitation.

Jacob raised his eyebrow as Emmett's low but surprisingly sweet voice echoed off the stone walls of the crypt. Edward watched blue sound waves shuffle between everyone's legs and was not at all surprised to hear both of Emmett's mental voices singing along to the French nursery rhyme. Singing focuses the mind and it was the only time Edward heard both inner and outer voices together in unison. He even found himself enjoying the chorusing effect of Bella's voice as she sang along with the partner in her mind.

He heard a similar effect when Emmet began singing, but this time there were two inner voices singing along to the childlike song. The booming God voice even put some bravado into his performance.

"_**Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?..."  
**_

Bella spoke quickly and quietly motioning Alice and Jasper to the corner of the crypt where Jacob finally stood up.

Bella spoke first to Edward. "Is that how we all sound to you?"

"No," Edward responded. "You were only hearing one voice weren't you? A deep voice?"

"Yes," Bella confirmed, "but there were gaps. Is he….?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think that he thinks that he's talking to God."

"…_**Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!  
Din, dan, don. Din, dan, don…."**_

"Really?" Jacob said. "That's interesting. And you say you can hear it Bella?"

"I couldn't _not_ hear it," Bella replied.

"Good for you," Jacob said, no longer surprised when Bella developed a new and amazing power.

"Thanks. But now what do I do?" she asked.

"Give him rules," Jasper instructed.

"Good idea," Jacob agreed. "Code of conduct stuff, you know what we need, Bella."

Edward nodded his head. "Yes. Keep staying ahead of the 'God' voice. You are brilliant, but don't address him specifically. We'll hear more if he doesn't know we're listening."

"…_**Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?..."**_

"I think Emmett is unstable," Edward quickly explained to the others. "But with Bella's hypnosis, I think I can help."

"How?" Jasper asked.

Edward tried not to look at Jacob as he elaborated. "I think I can go into people's minds."

"That sounds dangerous," Jasper said.

"It should be alright," Edward responded. "I don't think he'll even know."

"Oh, he'll know all right," Jacob offered quietly, looking directly at Edward. "And, if he doesn't want you in there, he will flood the mines."

"…_**Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!  
Din, dan, don. Din, dan, don…."**_

_Sonnez les matines indeed, _Edward thought as his eyes widened.

Bella looked at Jacob apologetically, but he held up his hand. "I know it was an accident and I'd be willing to help you practice if that's what it takes but…"

"I understand," Edward cut him off, feeling ashamed of his intrusion. "I'll go only where you want to go."

Jasper and Alice looked at each other with confused expressions. "We'll explain later," Bella told them, effectively ending that conversation. "Now is that all I should do with him? Implant rules?"

All three men answered together. "Yes."

Alice added, "Try to make him feel better too."

"Alright," Bella acknowledged and walked back over to Emmett.

_**"…Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?..."**_

Bella let him finish the song and even added a counter melody on the last line. She then smiled at him and he took his hands from his ears.

"Emmett, I want you to listen to me very carefully." Bella spoke to him slowly, but not in a patronizing way. She was being instructive. "You can never hurt anyone in this room. We are all your friends. Do you understand that?"

"Yes." Bella heard the God voice agree with Emmett's spoken response.

_Good, _she thought, _we might just get through this._

"You cannot go out into the sunlight. It will kill you."

"Alright." _**Alright..**_

Bella looked over at Edward.

_What else?_

Jasper stepped forward. "You cannot tell anyone about us," he said, anticipating her question.

Bella repeated the command to make sure it sank in. "Alright." _**Alright.**_

"Emmett?" Bella, like Alice, saw the value in a healthy outlook. "This is a good thing that has happened to you. You are happy about it! You are lucky to live forever! You feel better than you ever have! You are strong and powerful and glad to be a vampire!"

Bella knew she might have over done things a bit as Emmett emitted a triumphant "YEAH!" and paraded around the room punching the air.

"Calm down, Emmett," Bella instructed, he did. "Do you have any more questions for us?"

'Yes," Emmett said. "What's that smell?"

* * *

Six days later, the fog in New York Harbor was being shooed away by the dawn sun.

Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie stood at the rail of the _La Bretagne_, well away from the crewmen who were swabbing the deck with salt water and rope mops. Their rhythmical strokes were accompanied by the hollow sound of buckets being dropped into the water and the 'thwunk' of used contents being thrown overboard.

"The fog is lifting," Rosalie spoke. "Maybe we'll see the city on our way to Ellis Island."

"I hope so," Esme smiled. She was excited for their impending arrival and had been the one who insisted that they all rise early to see the New World together.

Rosalie had told her mother the night before that no one called it the New World anymore, but still gleefully dressed in the dark as the ship's horn and the harbor bells announced their presence.

They sailed between Brooklyn and the enormous Staten Island, both shorelines filled with jostling trees. The tip of Manhattan could just be seen swimming out of the orange sherbet morning haze in front of them as they moved down to the bow of the stout schooner.

It was surprisingly ordinary at first since the trees were filled with European starlings. They were gregarious birds, especially in the winter months, and were singing in New York courtesy of a group of Shakespeare enthusiasts who released a great number of them in Central Park in recent years.

Those loyal lovers of the immortal bard wanted America to have every bird that he had ever mentioned in his plays, so they released the little brown starlings on two separate occasions in 1890 and 1891. The scrappy mimics quickly showed up in Brooklyn, and on all the other islands in the area. They multiplied so rapidly that no further attempts to populate the region were necessary.

Carlisle did not know the reason for their introduction to the area but, as an admirer of Shakespeare, he heard the brave chirping and immediately thought of _Henry IV._ He even recalled the line in which the fiery Hotspur sidesteps the King's orders for him never to speak of Mortimer again.

"I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak. Nothing but 'Mortimer,' and give it him, to keep his anger still in motion." Carlisle whispered the words as Rosalie and Esme spoke over the seagulls that had decided to compete with the little brown and white birds.

"It's nice to see you happy for once," Esme said, while stroking her daughter's golden hair.

'I'm just glad the trip is over," Rosalie replied. "I am looking forward to having something to do."

"I know you are, honey." Esme put her arm around her daughter, their shawls twirling together in the moist morning breeze. Rosalie's expression faltered slightly.

"I thought it would get easier but it's not," Rosalie admitted, resting her head on her mother's shoulder and hugging her with an arm around the waist. "I miss him more every day."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Esme asked, but continued anyway. "The water holds a promise for the wives of sailors. It always has. It promises to cradle them in our absence and carry them to safety as long as love is in their hearts." Esme looked down at the harbor; it could have been glass before the ship's wake disrupted its surface. "Now I know Jacob is not a sailor but I think that the ritual will work for you."

"What ritual?" Rosalie asked.

"You need to let the wind fill your mouth and then make your wish as you let it out," Esme explained, almost lapsing into the Irish accent her grandmother used when she taught the phrase to her already freckled summer charge years before.

Rosalie turned to face upriver and allowed a pillow of air to fill her lunges as well as her mouth. She pushed the breeze back into the daylight and made her wish.

"Let us be together again under the stars," she whispered in an exhale that also brought a tear with it. The tear crept out onto her cheek and leapt overboard into the smooth folding water on the other side of the ship's railing.

Esme held her daughter and they watched as the shorelines began to reveal grand houses and port businesses along the east side of Staten Island. The sun had bested the fog and was now offering delicate reflections of the buildings on the water. New York City was still decades away from the skyscraper craze but already boasted several architectural goliaths - most notable among them was the Trinity Church with its steep pointed roof and fashionable position downtown. They were able to see it and may other wonders over the walls of Fort Clinton.

"Oh, it's so big isn't it?" Esme said, smiling into the tender wind.

The ship blew its horn again as it maneuvered between Governor's Island and the south tip of Manhattan and the family had their best view yet of the giant city. Many electric lights were still filling windows despite the onset of day and the splash of sunlight on glass was also nearly blinding.

"It's so bright isn't it?" Esme was amazed at how new everything looked.

While the ship was being tied to the large dock at Ellis Island, Rosalie left her parents and walked to the stern, looking eastward toward Paris. The tear that was now mixed with the blue green water held a secret promise and she hoped that it would find its way to Jacob before she could.

Carlisle regarded his wife and daughter as they took in their first morning in America and smiled to himself.

He had a good feeling about New York.

**

* * *

****Notes:**

**It's good to be back and I wish to thank everyone for your patience during the summer as I have been forced to delay postings more than once. I expect weekly updates to continue until the completion of the story on September 25th.**

**I wish to extend a personal thank you to Sebastien Robichaud for making what should been a very quiet two weeks for Bella Voce a very active time.**

**This chapter has inspired another song and I have added it to my author's page. It's called 'Watching New York Go By'. **

**Many thanks to SydneyTwiMum for her help in creating a media link so that everyone can hear it.**

**The song was written and performed by myself and Betti Gefecht and was mixed and engineered by Betti in Germany. Betti worked very hard on this project and I was thrilled to add my voice to one of her original compositions. I have also included links to her story, True Colors, along with her blog on my author's page. She is a wicked talent and a wonderful friend.**


	27. Chapter 27: Letters From New York

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear just makes her characters hump each other.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven:**

**Letters from New York**

Emmett had been a vampire for almost three weeks before Alice began to trust him.

She did not like how he took everything in stride simply because he believed that God wanted it so. Alice was without a reassuring cricket on her shoulder or a confident voice in her head that had more authority over her self esteem than she did. Furthermore, she did not want one.

Edward and Bella were convinced that the 'God' voice was acting mostly as their ally. Within a few days, Edward had been able to confirm that Emmett was not only the origin of both thoughts but that he still maintained control of his actions. Bella also determined that he was going to settle into his new life better than they had hoped for. In fact, Emmett was going to be the life of the party. Her planted suggestion that he should feel lucky and happy to be a vampire was still firmly in place and fertilized confidence that led Emmett to insist on learning all he could about his new existence.

In regards to Emmett's disappearance, Jasper had simply told those at the hospital who had watched him run after Emmett that he lost the athletic doctor near the waterfront. He then waited along with everyone else for Dr. McCarty to show up again which, of course, he never did. In the wake of Emmett's vanishing, the vampire hunting talk ceased immediately. Jasper was relieved that no one came down to the morgue with his name on a springboard and asked him to accompany them out into the sun.

Emmett was escorted to his modest flat to collect his personal belongings, which were many, and Jacob went along to offer assistance with his arms and his coach. He teased Jasper about opening an orphanage often, saying that he would be moving in next.

Jasper now had a younger brother who liked weapons as much as he did and who could add considerable contributions to his library of vampire research. Emmett had already been allowed access to the cellar and he and Jasper held vigils with vials, whispers and revelations.

At it turned out, Emmett also knew about several groups of vampires living outside the city. He claimed that they were preying on the innocent nightly and did not live by any code that would suggest any reform. Jacob was sent to investigate and came back ashen. He reported no more than six but that their habits were foul and their respect for all things sacred was non existent.

The most disturbing trait that these vampires exhibited was their gleeful capturing and torture of humans. Sometimes they would hold a person for a week, feeding from them night after night before discarding them. This told Jacob two things - that these were new vampires who didn't require as much blood, and that they were malicious and evil.

The group felt that it was their duty to rid the country, indeed the planet, of these scoundrels. Although Emmett was still green, it was his discovery and he had insisted that he be involved. Jasper acknowledged that he was a gifted fighter and if he could just keep from slicing one of his friends in half in his fervor he would be quite the asset in battle.

Emmett had also been told of Jacob's secret when Jasper invited the big man down into the cellar to discuss tactics one night. The wooden racks held hundreds of dusty witnesses to the discussion but nothing more. Jacob had been down in the room a few times since he and Jasper had conspired to relieve hospital patrons of their blood and he shrugged his shoulders when Jasper asked his permission to explain the advantage in combat.

"You don't get a show," Jacob said dryly, knowing he would devastate the crowded room and everyone in it. "But I can turn into a giant wolf at will. To be honest, I feel that it's my ability with an axe that would make me more potent in a fight." He paused. "Unless you wanted to use me for shock because I've heard it's quite effective that way."

Jasper nodded but confirmed that they would most likely want him with the ability to hold onto a blade and not parading around naked when the battle was over.

Jacob and Emmett got along quiet well considering that they had clashed over a poker game on the night they met. Now, as comrades, their fun loving happy-go-lucky natures were contagious and the group enjoyed a light hearted energy.

Alice was even a fan of Emmett's by the time the first letters arrived from New York.

* * *

When Bella and Edward received their first letter from Carlisle, it came twined to another one, twice as thick, addressed to Jacob. They flew to Le Havre and back and met him under the Eiffel Tower along with Jasper, Alice and Emmett. They were all going to take out the other group of vampires that very night, before dawn, as the members of the vile coven returned to their camp in the forest south of the city.

It was early enough in the evening that there were people strolling along the Champs de Mars in the night shadow of the tower and Emmett watched them with fascination. He was careful to keep in the shadow himself since being recognized was something he was keen to avoid.

Bella handed Jacob his letter along with a new copy of _Scientific American_ she saw among the publications aboard a huge new ocean liner moored in Le Havre. It was called _The City of Paris_ and it was easily the biggest ship Bella or Edward had ever seen. The deck stood forty feet above the dock even when the ship was heavy with cargo, and the three huge smoke stacks, that even when slumbering, were intimidating as they towered over the whole city. People could see when _The City of Paris _was in port from miles away.

Back in Paris, Edward gazed up at the Eiffel tower, which looked smaller now, before he peered over Bella's shoulder as she read:

_**The Very Miss Bella Swan**_

_**Theatre de la Nuit**_

_**Paris, France**_

_**Dearest Bella and Edward,**_

_**We have arrived in Manhattan and wish to thank**_

_**you for securing us an apartment in the Stuyvesant Building.**_

_**It is considered one of the most French structures in New York.**_

_**Your theatre already has the foundation in place and you**_

_**would not believe how hard these men work. Jacob's building**_

_**design has caused quite a stir. He is apparently ahead of his**_

_**time despite his old fashioned architectural style.**_

_**Did you know that New York has an elevated train? It runs**_

_**along 9th Avenue and we have ridden every day since we arrived.**_

_**I think Esme is growing weary of my fascination with it.**_

_**The foreman you hired, Randall, is tough but smart and I think**_

_**you might even have your new home before summer.**_

_**Rosalie will send separate letters to Jacob (for obvious reasons)**_

_**and will include her progress reports within. I will trust that**_

_**you and Jacob will share pertinent information.**_

_**All best,**_

_**Carlisle**_

_**P.S. Esme sends hugs.**_

When Bella finished reading, she looked over to see that Edward had taken a few steps back and was looking straight up at the hulking tower again. He resembled a child as the prolonged act made him dizzy and he stumbled.

"Didn't you want to read the letter?" Bella asked, unable to suppress a smile.

"I heard you read it," Edward responded with an answering grin. One of his true pleasures was to be near Bella when she was reading a book. Unless she was allowing her mind to wander, it was like being in the room with someone reading aloud. Edward often fell asleep to the sound of her soothing inner voice. When he woke up, he was usually lost but Bella read constantly and he knew that he would get the opportunity to hear he read all her books several times. He was looking forward to it.

The evening under the tower was mild. Everyone was grateful that the wind had finally stopped as the whole winter had been one big gale. The grass glittered with early moon dew and the usually whistling tower was mute.

Bella glanced over at Jacob, who was about halfway through his letter. He looked amused, that was good. Bella knew the glass was the most delicate part of the project, figuratively and literally.

Edward heard him finish reading. He never wanted to eavesdrop but couldn't really help it. He had made some progress in tuning things out but the voices of his friends were not among them.

…_should be able to compensate for the rapid cooling. Garrett is a good smith and treats me fair, better than fair, he treats me like an equal. I suspect that he doubted that we could produce the same results in New York until he actually saw them with his own eyes. Now he is a believer._

_My father is obsessed with the stupid train that runs above the street on the east side of the Manhattan. He drags my mother along every morning even though it goes nowhere near the theatre. They get off at Central Park and walk all the way down to 34__th__ to oversee the construction. I work about six blocks away in Garrett's shop, we were lucky to be so close, this city is already three times as big as London and growing every day._

_I will let you know about the rubber but Garrett says he knows of at least two different merchants who will help with that. He says we will be installing every piece ourselves and I tend to agree. We will set them from the inside as each floor is built so don't worry about my safety. I know you, Jacob._

_One last thing, I have access to free copper flakes and I was thinking that if I suspended them in the glass it will reflect beautifully in the sunlight. Since Bella has little stars painted on her Paris theatre, I'm certain she wouldn't mind if her New York theatre actually twinkled. Let me know what you think of the idea._

_I love you, Jacob. I miss you terribly. _

_Rosalie_

Emmett was surprisingly tender for someone who gave off such an oafish vibe as a human. When he saw that Jacob was done reading his letter, he immediately walked over to Jacob and gave him a hug.

"I know you miss her, big guy," he said. "We all do."

"Thanks, Emmett." Jacob said.

The two had not yet discussed their mutual fondness for Rosalie but Jacob was not the type to feel jealous. Especially since Emmett was with him in Paris. Edward heard him wondering about how things might change when she returned. Jacob trusted her beyond measure but Emmett was charming and had become even more handsome after transforming into an immortal.

Bella did not have to read minds to know that Jacob might be thinking of the complications Emmett might cause and quietly resolved to plant a command that he leave the couple alone if it ever came to that.

"How are things going in New York?" Alice asked.

"Great - from the sound of it," Bella replied handing her letter over to Jacob. "Carlisle seemed pretty excited."

Jacob, likewise, handed over his letter as there was nothing private in this one. They both read while the rest of the group conversed.

"Did you find Emmett a weapon yet?" Edward asked Jasper.

"He likes a good old broadsword." Jasper sighed with resignation. "No flair."

"Hey," Emmett pretended to be wounded. "It's a King's weapon."

Bella and Edward noticed that Emmett's 'God' voice would sometimes be silent for days. It seemed that it only came out in times of trial. After he accepted that he could no longer pursue his chosen profession, officially, the voice gradually abstained from weighing in on mundane decisions or taking part in trivial conversations.

In other words, Emmett was mostly Emmett again.

"Carlisle wrote about an elevated train," Edward said to Jacob as he read. "I thought they were going to dig train tunnels under the streets like they are doing here."

"They're doing both," Jacob said, not looking up. "Take a look at this." He handed Edward the _Scientific American_ Bella brought him and, sure enough, right on the cover was a cross section of a New York street complete with water and sewer pipes near the surface and a subway tunnel some forty feet underground.

"I didn't even look at this," Edward said while he enthusiastically flipped through the pages. "But then again, we were flying and that makes for terrible reading." Jasper, Emmett and Alice all flocked to his side to get a look at the articles.

"This is amazing," Edward whispered.

"And they've left themselves room to grow," Emmett observed. "Smart city planning."

"What church is that?" Alice asked, pointing to the drawing on the magazine. "It's lovely."

No one knew the answer to her question but the sketched church above the street where the subway tunnel was being dug was indeed grand. It showed an eastern influence in the architecture while most buildings in France reeked of Roman styling. It was an exciting building to look at, even when drawn on a periodical.

Bella and Jacob had each finished their traded letters and now joined the conversation.

"Are we still on for dawn?" Bella asked. She was already looking forward to the attack and, after what she heard from Jacob, thought it was already a week overdue. Emmett did as well.

"Yes," Jasper nodded. "We will meet at Notre Dame at three o'clock."

"We are going to POUND those clowns!" Emmett shouted into the chilly but dry evening air.

"Just as long as we follow….the….plan," Edward said, looking pointedly at Emmett.

"I will, I will." Emmett did not seem to have any problems letting others call the shots. He worked best when he was assigned tasks and he knew it. Edward effortlessly shifted the groups' power over to Jasper and Jacob on the matter of that morning's proceedings and they devised a simple but delicate tactic.

Before any of that could happen, however, Bella had a need to be met.

She started filling Edward's head with erotic descriptions and lurid promises. She even used a breathy mental voice that caressed his ear as it teased him with hard words.

Edward swallowed dryly as he tried to keep his chin from scraping the ground. Bella was as descriptive as a poet and as relentless as a storm.

"What did Rosalie say about the glass?" Alice asked Jacob.

"She says things are going very well with the glass master and she even came up with an interesting idea for the windowpanes," Jacob answered. "What do you think of it, Bella?"

Bella was nursing an evil grin and her eyes were firmly painted on Edward. "I love it!" she remarked. "Let's do it. Let's do it right away."

Her words took on a whole new meaning as she pushed them into his wild head. Edward went over to the bench and sat down, seeking the privacy of loose trousers. Emmett bounded over to him like a playful puppy. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Oh…uh…I think Bella and I may have something to do but I have a feeling that it won't take long." Edward looked over at Bella with smoldering eyes as she told Alice, Jasper and Jacob that they would catch up later.

"Do you think we could go after the next one soon?" Emmett asked Edward, as he leaned forward on the bench. "I know it's bigger but I think that we should strike…"

"Emmett," Jasper interrupted accidentally, calling from a dozen feet away. "We're going."

"Think about it," he said to Edward over his shoulder as he trotted back to Jasper and Alice, who were already following Jacob to his carriage. "Bye, Bella," he said as she passed her.

Bella slowly walked over to Edward and sat down next to him, their legs touching. He was trying to puzzle out what Emmett was telling him before being called away. It made Edward look agitated. "Are you mad at me?" Bella asked playfully.

"No," Edward said quickly, then smiled that same evil smile back at her, "but it's going to feel like I am."

Edward was a gentle lover for the most part, but with the priming Bella had given him he knew that his hands would be rough and his body would be forceful. He was going to allow himself to lose control as soon as he got her alone and she was going to be treated to his desires.

That statement had Bella so heated that she took him by the hand and led him out from under the tower. They sprinted into the dark fields and she grabbed him by the pants, where his suspenders buttoned, and launched them both into the air.

If Bella had been able to hear Edward's thoughts she might have found a better place to grab before she took off but it was no matter as they were on the top platform of the Eiffel Tower in mere seconds.

"Ouch," Edward said when she released him. "Now I'm mad at you."

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"That's alright," Edward told her while looking around. "Are you sure we're alone up here?"

"Positive," Bella answered, taking a short walk to look at an area not in direct sight of their landing spot. "And all the elevators are on the ground so we would hear them with plenty of time to leave."

"Good," Edward was relieved. "It was later at night the last time we were here."

"The last night you were human," Bella spoke softly.

"I was thinking of that too," Edward admitted. "I was so scared that night." He walked over to her almost menacingly, the sight of his approach shot chills throughout Bella's body. "But not tonight." He pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her with a ferocity that made Bella's knees buckle.

Edward cradled her face in both hands as he worshiped her lips. "I love you so much, Bella."

"I love you," she returned, her words filling his mouth as she placed her hands on the small of his back, sinking her fingers below the waistline of his trousers. She loved the baby duck feel to his skin, soft and even tickling as her fingers sought lower delights.

The night breeze was weak and intermittent, bringing with it continued silence from the structure. "The tower was singing to us last time," Edward recalled. "Do you remember, Bella?"

"Yes," Bella answered, her eyes wondered with his words. "It would have looked beautiful through your…musical eyes."

"We'll have to come back when there is more wind," Edward said looking up. The sky was lathered in puffy night clouds and the moon snuck around behind them.

Edward took Bella firmly by the hand and led her over to the railing, facing north. Below them the Seine River curled around the city like a cat's tail and, from that height, Bella felt like she could see all the way to Belgium.

Edward turned her around so that his burning green eyes filled her world and he began to unbutton the plum colored sweater she wore. It opened fast and her breasts sprang out for his hungry eyes. Bella quickly shrugged the top off, exposing her pale back to the furtive moon.

He knelt and tugged her long skirt down. He slowed down only long enough to slide the last remaining garment from her body. It was delicate and blood red. Now in tune with his vampire instincts, Edward liked it at once. But he still discarded the scrap of clothing quickly in favor of the petals of naked flesh before him.

"Your turn," Bella whispered and placed a single finger under his chin. She brought his lips to hers and kissed him while pressing her hips into his strained trousers. She was intent on removing them as soon as she was able to tear his attentive lips from hers.

It was Edward who eventually pulled back and loosened his pants with the relief of a starved prisoner. As usual for Edward, his trousers were his only covering from the waist down. His profound excitement stood out like a sun dial as Bella stepped forward and swiftly unbuttoned his shirt.

_Oh no. Not the shoes again, _Edward thought, remembering that he had been lucky the first time he tried to step out of them amidst the crumpled clothes around his legs. This time he held on to Bella for support, not even trusting his vampire reflexes in such a delicate procedure.

The two naked vampires then stood at the railing kissing like they were a marble statue, both their backsides laced with the fingers of their lover as their lips carried out an eternal knowledge of touch.

Bella could feel him, hard and aching, pressing into her belly. She almost thought her next statement, but then decided he should hear it out loud instead. "Do it Edward. I want you to." Her voice was rough and breathless. It fueled him further as did the delicious embrace of her festive body.

He spun her around obediently and she placed her hands on the railing. Bella could still see people below them milling about, and some of them even looked upwards from time to time, but none seemed to notice the couple in the clouds that draped the whole of the city in a heavy shadow as the couple began to make love.

Edward touched Bella gently on her inner thigh and she tilted her hips back, offering Edward everything. He found her silky and ready for him and he moaned with excitement. He positioned himself behind her and slowly pressed himself up and into her yielding cocoon of feathery kisses, savoring the view of her leaning over the city.

Bella commanded him to move faster and he obliged, nearly shaking a few bolts from the tower in the process. Bella did her best not to scream out with each explosion of bliss but she was unable to keep completely quiet. The thin air carried her sighs like pollen and, when she did yell, the gasps dropped to the ground like grenades and craned the necks of passersby.

The top of the tower felt like it was rocking back and forth with them when Edward joined her climax. He buried cries of Bella's name into her hair as his release made his legs quiver. He held her close for several moments, his cool chest pressed against her smooth back.

"Thank you," Bella said, sincerely, "I needed that."

Edward laughed against her skin but told her that she was welcome. He even extended an invitation for her to ask again.

By the time they had gotten dressed, several Sûreté officers had arrived on horseback at the base of the tower. Apparently their antics did not go unnoticed after all. Bella giggled as she hugged Edward low on the waist and carried them safely east to the hulking white cathedral in the middle of the city.

* * *

The King's old hunting forest, the Forêt de Fontainebleau_, _was notorious for its varying degree of geological attributes. It held mini deserts, huge boulders and a maze of caves that had been used by the Celtic tribes that inhabited the region two thousand years before. Among the most notable residents was the Parisii tribe, the city's namesake, who lived primarily on the Ile de la Cité.

The group of six vampires chose to camp in a modest sized cavern that had smooth light gray stones spattered like lakes all over the ground in front of it. According to Jacob, when evening first draped the forest, they all went their separate ways. They usually returned alone but sometimes arrived in pairs and always between three and four in the morning.

When the first vampire, a short middle aged looking man, walked into the clearing Emmett was waiting in the cave. He was careful not to breathe and waited with his sword aloft for the right moment. It never came. Before the man could walk into the cave, he was joined by two other women, who began chattering about the family they robbed on the road and killed for sport because neither was thirsty after a night of satiation.

_Plan B. _

Jasper thought from the grove of trees near the mouth of the cave and Edward immediately sprang into action with a twist of his wrist. The sharp slim blade slid silently from its sheath as Edward pulled on the golden dragon's head that was now used to swing the double edged rapier.

Edward was upon the two women in a blur and, by the time the short man turned around to address the sudden absence of banter, he was inside the cave with Emmett, his finger pressed to his lips.

'Plan B.' Edward mouthed and pointed towards the opening which was filling with the shadow of the male vampire shocked into retreat by the sudden confrontation of two headless companions.

Emmett dispatched him quickly and even caught the falling head by his long dirty hair. Edward raced out into the camp and dragged the two bodies away into the brush as Emmett followed behind. They reset the trap with Jacob replacing Emmett in the cave and Bella taking the 'Plan B' position. They were ready in less than a minute, fortunately, because the biggest vampire of the group came strolling into camp with his eyes wide and his nostrils faired.

He pulled out an English bar hammer pistol and walked slowly into the cave.

The silence was agonizing for everyone but Edward who was amused to hear Jacob think, just before he sent the big man's head rolling out of the cave courtesy of one of his double headed axe.

_Hey, I haven't seen a pepperbox pistol in ages._

Jacob grabbed the head and body and hustled into the woods where Edward and Emmett waited.

Everyone shifted positions, Bella was now in the cave and Alice was on deck. Jasper kept his position in the trees until his rotation came up.

The last two came together but it was at least fifteen minutes after the first four arrived. Bella heard the conversation and knew instantly that 'Plan B' was again in effect. It was a simple approach, if one person showed up, which was usual for this group, they would be ambushed in the cave. If more than one arrived then they would be driven into the cave by the person in the front position.

Alice swooped in and pierced the throat of the bigger of the two remaining men. She savagely ripped the rapier from the man but it was a bloody mess. His head did not come off all the way but he did fall down. She would have to hack away at his neck to finish the job but first she turned her attention to the last man standing.

He fumbled on his belt and eventually produced a long dagger but when he brought his arm up to strike, it was no longer there. He stared in disbelief at Alice, who hadn't moved, and saw her spin sideways as his head was neatly removed from his body by Bella's fan as it thrust through the back of his neck. According to the plan, Bella should have stayed put but she was getting a taste for dispensing justice.

Jasper, who had crept up swiftly to the action, stood up and called Bella, Edward and Emmett over to the cave.

"Alright," Jasper said. "Let's drag the bodies into the cave and start the fire."

They were all back at the theatre with more than a half hour to spare before sunrise. Only Alice had to change her clothes and she borrowed a top from Bella. Since Emmett had successfully talked them all into doing the same thing to the other group of known vampires before any of that night's victims were missed, they all stayed with Bella and Edward. Their attack took place mere moments after sunset the very next evening.

They did not have a solid plan for that attack since they had not observed the group and really only knew the location of the home they slept in. They guessed that the vampires slept in the cellar, and came up with their approach accordingly. They hurried into the coach and traveled the short distance to a residence right on the island with the cathedral.

The hope was to use a half stick of dynamite to introduce themselves and slay the survivors as they fled the basement. The element of surprise, however, was blown when Emmett hooted in delight as he was awarded free range once the group moved inside.

They all discovered that vampire enemies who were aware of an attack and armed were much harder to kill.

Fortunately, Edward's exceptional speed would forever tip the scales in his family's favor. By the end of the confrontation, he had saved almost everyone's life at least once. Only Bella did not need him to step in. She was a wonder with her razor whip and more than held her own alongside Jasper and Jacob. Yet each of the men had been flanked and nearly killed, requiring the intervention of Edward's blur of a blade.

The fight took place on the ground floor, the parlor, dining room and kitchen. When Jacob fought his way into the cellar, he found two vampires still down there, whispering franticly and trying to hide a bundle of papers.

Jacob destroyed them both with one swing, a fact he repeated to everyone in the group when the battle was over. Emmett was chastised for his outburst but praised for the manner in which he fought. He was a windmill of destruction in the parlor. Alice swore to the group that she could feel the wind from his swings twenty feet away.

There were eight vampires in the house and the group escaped unharmed except for Jasper who had a slash on his hand. Emmett stitched it up in the neglected brick kitchen as the rest of the group searched the house.

Emmett carried his doctor's bag with him at all times, maybe in an effort to hold onto an aspect of his humanity. Since he could not hide a broadsword he always looked like some kind of medical warrior on patrol. His stitch work was completed quickly and allowed Jasper to heal much quicker in the end.

Jacob inspected the papers that the two cellar vampires were trying to hide. They were property deeds to several large plantations and farms in the American South. Jacob read off the names of the states to himself as he stood in the kitchen door listening to Jasper scold Emmett again for acting so childish and giving away their surprise.

The deeds granted ownership to seven properties in Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Most detailed structures already built but none were producing any crops at the moment. No longer working farms they still occupied rich Southern soil.

Alice found a canvas bag full of silver coins that Jasper identified. "Those are Dutch coins," he told her. "Old too. They used to be called Dog dollars and they weren't even used in my time."

Alice looked at the lion on the face of the coin. "Why are they called dog dollars?"

"I think it was a joke about the condition of the coins after a hundred years in circulation," Jasper explained. "They were struck in New Amsterdam in the early 1600's but were used in the Dutch East Indies and several other settlements until the Spanish pieces of eight took their place right about the time I was born."

"So another connection to America then?" Edward asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes, I would say so," Jasper answered.

Edward scowled. "Let's go."

That night, back at Notre Dame, Jasper told them all some stories about his time in America. He recalled that the air actually tasted sweet in certain parts of the South and how the insects sang whole states to sleep in the summer months.

Alice tried to split the money but everyone declined. All, with the exception of Alice and Emmett, had considerable fortunes. Bella insisted that Edward consider her wealth his wealth. Emmett and Alice each received two hundred and five dog dollars. Jasper assured them that it was enough money to purchase any one of the plantations they now also had possession of.

"What should we do with the deeds?" Jacob asked. He was relaxing in a pew and looking up at the high ceiling, detailed in cobwebs and shadows.

Bella was holding the bundle of papers and addressed the group. "These deeds are written out to the same person, Senna. Does that name mean anything to any of you?"

They all shook their heads. "Jasper, are you sure?" Bella asked, knowing that he had come into more contact with vampires than the rest of them combined.

"Never heard it before," he said, "but it sounds like a girl's name."

"That's just what I was thinking," Alice said laughing.

"It's true." Edward nodded his head. "She was."

"Well, I think we should do nothing for the time being," Bella suggested, "and when we move to America we can make some inquiries." She looked around at her friends. "You see enough time will have passed that if anyone else wanted to stake a claim to the property they would have and, if not, then we can assume that we killed the sole owner this evening and that the property became ours."

"I agree with Bella," Jacob said.

"Me too!" Emmett chimed in right behind him.

"It's a wise plan," Edward remarked. "And we have done a good thing for this city before we leave it behind."

* * *

The next pair of letters that came from New York arrived on St. Valentine's Day. Edward and Bella read them in bed together after Jacob brought them down and reported that he had already gone through them.

"They arrived shortly after noon," Jacob told them. "Things are still progressing nicely."

"Thanks, Jacob." They chorused together as Bella flipped Carlisle's letter from the envelope.

It was short, reporting swift and easy work as the winter was mild and the stonecutters continued to work ahead of schedule. Carlisle told Bella that by paying for the work up front, a faux pas by American standards, he had actually garnered loyalty that had become almost legend in the ale houses the masons frequented. They were all fed and happy, as were their wives. Since they were paid for six months of steady work, they could even buy themselves a spring vacation by continuing quality work ahead of schedule. He wrote that the tower was rising fast, the first windows were going in (but of course Rosalie would have more on that) and, lastly, that the beautiful California Redwood stage was now installed and looked amazing with the dark green curtain that had recently arrived from Chicago.

He wished them well and communicated more hugs from Esme, then added a post script that moved Bella to the point where her hand was covering her mouth and two tiny ice tears were racing down her cheeks. One ran from the corner of each eye which she squeezed shut in warm glee.

_**I'll admit to you now that I was scared as hell to take**_

_**on this job despite the generous salary and travel**_

_**opportunity. All I really knew was medicine,**_

_**but you have opened my eyes to the other qualities that**_

_**I have as a leader and a teacher and it has already made**_

_**a profound difference in my life.**_

_**That makes two Cullen men you have saved, Bella.**_

_**Thank you.**_

Rosalie's letter was much longer and, to Bella and Alice's delight, included a description of the neighborhood that surrounded the Theatre of the Heart. It was easy to tell that Rosalie was having fun and had already grown fond of the tough but trembling city.

_**Mon chèr grande cuillère,**_

_**You will love New York! There are more gadgets**_

_**and little contraptions here then anywhere else**_

_**I've ever seen. There are people here from every**_

_**country on the planet and they all seem**_

_**to have their own neighborhood.**_

_**The theatre sits on the same side of 34th Street as**_

_**the general post office, which is only one block to**_

_**the south. It's in an area of town called the Garment**_

_**District and it didn't earn its name for selling cookies.**_

_**There are so many fabrics and sewing shops around**_

_**that Alice might faint.**_

_**Bryant Park is only six blocks away and it is the most**_

_**beautiful nine acres of land that I have seen since we**_

_**went to Versailles. There are rumors that they are**_

_**going to relocate the 20 million gallon reservoir there**_

_**and build a public library. Bella will be happy if that**_

_**ever happens.**_

_**I have tried one hundred different foods since I've been**_

_**here and I know that you will be in heaven when you**_

_**arrive. Oh and when you see the size of the Brooklyn**_

_**Bridge you won't believe your eyes. It's bigger than**_

_**any building in the city, including churches!**_

_**The glass is coming along just fine, a few breaks during**_

_**the cool down but we expected that. The copper flakes**_

_**look great and please tell Bella I said thank you for the**_

_**sweet letter of encouragement.**_

_**I think of you often and I can't wait to show you this**_

_**exciting city.**_

_**Votre petite cuillère,**_

_**Rosalie**_

These two letters were passed around to the group countless times and, by the beginning of March, they were all hungry for more words from the New World. Alice told Bella that she felt like she had finally gotten to know Rosalie through the letters and now longed to share in the adventures with her mere blocks from their new home.

They all knew that another huge liner, _The City of New York_, appropriately named, was due at midnight in Le Havre and they all traveled together in the carriage to meet the shipment of goods and correspondence from the city that Washington Irving called Gotham in the 1807 _Salmagundi_ _Papers_.

Jacob was allowed to read Rosalie's letter in private in order to determine the nature of its contents while Japer and Alice each perched on Bella's shoulders as she read the one from Carlisle. Edward leaned against the dock railing and looked up at the warehouses that lined the waterfront while he listened to Bella's mental recital of the new mail.

_**Dearest Bella and Edward,**_

_**Now that the entire first floor and auditorium bowl are**_

_**in place, I have turned my attentions to some of the more**_

_**pedestrian, but no less important, matters of concern.**_

_**Enclosed you will find an advertisement for a brilliant**_

_**little water pumping engine that I plan to install in each**_

_**of upstairs residences and in Jacob's tower as well.**_

_**I have also secured a power cable and a telephone line.**_

_**I was considering placing one telephone in the ticket**_

_**booth and another in the hall that separates the two**_

_**wings on the forth floor so you can place calls from**_

_**upstairs. They will not be connected until late in the**_

_**construction as there is a huge waiting list for Bell,**_

_**but your New York phone number will be:**_

_**NY Central AT4-2118. **_

_**We are making the chimney a touch bigger as the bricks**_

_**seem to be larger in America but it won't affect the plans**_

_**in any other way. All the other stonework is being cut to**_

_**perfection. There is a lot of old world knowledge in this**_

_**new world and by sharing ideas they are rabidly changing**_

_**many concepts we once thought of as fundamental. Jacob**_

_**really has some fans over here who can't wait to speak to**_

_**him. Randall uses his name like it's **__**sacred and, as a result,**_

_**has followed his designs to the letter.**_

_**He even told me that he submitted them to the U.S. patent**_

_**office on Jacob's behalf out of sheer artistic principle.**_

_**(The workers on the site laughed when he said that. I think**_

_**it was a joke yet I do believe he was serious about sending**_

_**in the papers.)**_

_**I have taken Esme to a few plays and they are all dreadful.**_

_**New York needs you soon or else it will forever be known**_

_**as the home of bad stage productions.**_

_**Good health to you both,**_

_**Carlisle**_

_**P.S. Esme sends hugs**_

Jacob folded his letter and put it in his pocket. A sure sign that it was not filled with interesting things about New York or the building project.

The group drank tea, or stronger, in Captain Diamond Beard's state room while Bella composed her prompt reply to Carlisle. The jolly commander always recognized the carriage when they crossed paths and always insisted that she and Edward use his ship to be comfortable when they replied to any letter whether it was returning with his own ship or not.

He was pink cheeked but sober as he was to set sail within the hour and insisted on taking her reply to her future in-laws.

"I shall find your theatre and tell you myself how lovely it is the next time we meet, Bella," he said as he walked them from the ship.

They were all talkative on the way back to Paris. Jasper and Alice were thrilled to discover that they would have running water and all the pleasantries it would provide, while Edward and Bella chatted endlessly about the options for their first few productions.

Jacob was quiet, but not sad. He was remembering Rosalie's letter, nearly word for word, as he led his friends back along the Seine to Paris.

_**My beloved Jacob,**_

_**I am desperately lonely without you, my love, but will**_

_**not allow myself to be saddened by mere distance from**_

_**you. We are stronger than that. I am proud of my father**_

_**and you should know that the workers here would rather**_

_**die than disobey the ingenious building plans they pour**_

_**over all hours of the day.**_

_**I have thought of you often, especially when I'm bathing.**_

_**The tubs in the Stuyvesant Building are big enough for us**_

_**both and I have been giving my imagination a lot of room**_

_**to run when the sun sets each night.**_

_**I dream of your strong hands on my body and wake up**_

_**with your voice in my ears. I wait axiously to give myself**_

_**to you over and over when we are together once more.**_

_**Your love in waiting,**_

_**Rosalie**_

The rest of March and April brought with them a flurry of letters that continued to report tremendous headway on the building project and marvelous discoveries in the city Carlisle began calling Father Knickerbockers.

The auditorium was complete down to the chandeliers and the work had begun on the upper wings and the rest of the southeast corner. The glass was complete up to the third floor and proving to be almost too easy to install with Rosalie's use of rubber frames.

As spring squeezed fresh water over Paris, Bella and Alice's wedding plans were also in full swing. Edward suggested that they move to New York right after the ceremony and treat it as their honeymoon. Bella immediately agreed.

They would start their new life together in the New World.

* * *

**Notes:**

**My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the earthquake in New Zealand. Although the damage has been great, it is a relief to hear there have been no fatalities so far.**

**I was surprised to learn that Bella Voce has been nominated for three categories in the Hidden Star Awards. There are many wonderful stories included in the list of nominees and I have placed the link on my author's page in case you are interested in voting for your favorites.**

**As always, thank you for reading, reviewing and recommending my story.**

**I would also like wish my nephew a very Happy Birthday (although he's too young to be reading this story).**

**MOG**


	28. Chapter 28: Prayers From Paris

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear owns a lot of those little white ankle socks **

**with the Nike swoosh on them.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight:**

**Prayers From Paris**

Paris in May was a symphony of sounds for Edward as he sat in Le Parc Monceau in the western part of the city.

Carlisle's most recent letter had informed them that the English style of that particular park was the style they would see in New York. Edward had been there before as a child and Emmett had often escorted lady friends to its many floral delights. Both Bella and Jasper had more vivid memories of the grounds.

Emmett was off investigating or climbing, one of the many follies throughout the gardens. There was a miniature Egyptian pyramid that he ran toward like a kid and stood upon like some giant tyrant. He had been called down from the Dutch windmill only moments before.

Alice was sitting with Jasper under a tree and talking with Bella, who was stretched out in the feathery grass next to Edward. He was looking up at the stars like they had finally revealed their answers.

Jacob was way up in the tree that hovered above Jasper and Alice but nobody yelled at him for climbing on things.

Bella was telling Alice and Jasper that the living quarters were receiving all their windows that week. She also disclosed that Carlisle had found the most delicious marble for each of the three bathtubs. Jacob's tub would be almost pure white with veins of dark green, Alice's a purple that looked like the tail end of magic hour. Bella's round tub was dark red with streaks of gold that were, according to Carlisle's smooth script, "…so brilliant that one would swear it was the real thing!"

Edward smiled serenely as he listened to Bella's voice and watched her shallow blue sound waves invade a miniature Chinese tower that even Emmett knew would break if he attempted to scale it. He had greatly enjoyed, and planned to keep, every single one of his father's letters describing their constant triumphs in the vigorous city. "Tell them about the money," Edward prompted Bella.

"Oh, yes." Bella closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of composure before she began. "As you will recall, you sent us to America with a significant salary, and don't think I didn't notice that the apartment was already paid for, as well as nearly double the budget of the theatre's construction." She paused. Jacob tittered from the top of his tree like a mockingbird and Emmett galloped over the second he smelled another good laugh at the hands and voice of Miss Bella Swan. "So I hope you won't mind if I took a few liberties in regard to the materials and embellishments you will find when you arrive." Bella smiled. The last part of the message was her favorite and she was not sure she could get through it without laughing. "I would be remiss if I didn't credit Esme with the design choices…beyond Jacob's architectural guidelines, of course…and in case you are not happy with them."

Everyone roared with laughter. "Did your father just sacrifice your mother?" Emmett asked, and it was his deadpan delivery that nearly tipped Jacob from his perch above them.

Edward just laughed and nodded. Jasper had his hands on his belly and Alice was hanging onto him like she would fall if she let go.

"You should see the way he wrote it," Bella elaborated, "one sentence on top of the other, like he was just adding thoughts as he went."

Edward pointed at Bella and nodded his head with gusto. "That's what I thought was so funny about it," he said to her, "and it was the first one that I actually read." All previous letters had been heard as Bella read them, but this time he was up before she was when Jacob returned with the latest mail. Edward had read Carlisle's words immediately.

Jacob began climbing down the tree. "Rosalie says the lobby looks like a grand hotel," he announced moving quickly. "She also says that some of the world's best and brightest inventors have set up shop in the city and that New York is easily the new scientific capital of the world."

"And who did they wrestle that title away from?" Alice asked.

Jacob considered the question. "Rome, maybe?"

"Paris?" Edward asked, waving his hands to indicate the air around them.

"I bet it's some place in the East," Bella speculated. "Like Hong Kong."

"Berlin," Emmett suggested. "Lots of scientific contributions come from Germany."

Jacob laughed. "Well, anyway she says its New York now and that if I thought Paris was the City of Lights then New York is the City of Stars."

"There's one other bit of news to share with you," Bella said. She had been sitting up in the grass but now she stood and approached Emmett. She had already assured him that he would have a place in their family for as long as he wanted and that she would happily employ him in the theatre, but now she had something concrete to offer him as a home.

"Jacob's original design for the theatre had the tower starting on the fourth floor, sitting above the lobby," she explained to him, "but Carlisle has been instructed to drop it to the ground. It will give the lobby a curved wall on one end and will be supplying us with seven total stories of tower to work with."

Emmett blinked at her.

"You can have the first and second floor of the tower all to yourself," Jacob said from behind him. When Emmett realized what he had been told, he beamed like a shiny new franc and then bounded around like an orangutan, thanking everyone regardless of their involvement in the decision.

"Are you sure?" Emmett said when he returned to Bella. "I mean, I won't let you down and I have always loved the theatre…I've even been told that I'm quite a good actor when I can memorize my lines…"

"I was thinking about using you on the technical side," Bella offered gently. "Working lights and rigs with Jacob."

"Actually," Jasper interjected, "Emmett was quite organized as a doctor. I bet he would make a great stage manager."

"I'll consider that as well," Bella said.

The group wandered around the park admiring all of the detail and cultural gems within the rotunda at the entrance of the twenty acres was at the Boulevard de Courcelles_, _and it was there that Jasper told them all about the time he witnessed the beheading of Phillippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres.

"This place was known as Folie de Chartres in 1793," he told them. "I had just moved to Paris a few years before but had never been inside because there was this huge wall surrounding it." Jasper held his hands high into the air and spun theatrically.

"The Wall of the Farmers-General," Bella stated. "It was short lived."

"Right," Jasper agreed, "it had been removed earlier in the revolution. Maybe eight months or so, if I remember correctly. They erected a guillotine for the very public execution. The whole thing took less than a minute and the park was taken over by the public after that."

"Why did you attend?" Edward asked, not wanting to judge but curious all the same.

Jasper shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fascinated with death," he said baldly. "It's why I'm a mortician and I actually miss them in a way. It used to keep people better in line."

Bella laughed darkly and they all looked at her. "Well, he's right," she said, "but they were happening every week when I moved here. Thankfully during the day but the smell would linger in Place de la Concorde."

"The Duke's execution was at night," Jasper said. "It was quite spontaneous, you see, and it was considered fate that they captured him in his very own park."

"I'll tell you what should be considered fate," Alice mused. "The fact that Parisians can just whip up a guillotine for spontaneous beheadings in the middle of the night."

They all laughed at that. "Well, it was the revolution," Edward said. "I'm sure guillotines were just lying around."

"I am glad I didn't have to grow up seeing that," Emmett declared, seriously. "My granddad told me of all the botched jobs he saw and, even as a doctor, I don't think I could have handled it."

"Especially as a doctor," Jasper said, "and your granddad must have seen English beheadings, with an axe. They were all botched jobs. It's why the more humane guillotine was invented in the first place."

"Humane?" The girls said together, joined by Edward.

"Compared to the alternative of having an uncoordinated and possibly hungover executioner," Jasper stated, "you bet it was."

"My granddad said they stopped public executions by the time he was fifteen but I think the damage was already done…" Emmett considered. "He just wasn't right in the head."

* * *

Alice completed a final fitting for Bella's wedding dress during the first week of June.

Since Bella did not gain or lose weight the completion of such an important aspect so early on in the planning was a great relief to both women, but that was not even the best part. Now that it was done they could show it to Esme and Rosalie when they returned to Paris. They only had a few more days to wait because the Cullens had boarded the _La Touraine _two days before and were due back in Le Havre that Saturday evening.

Bella asked Alice to design a simple renaissance style dress and she came up with a masterpiece. It was a long gown with a bold black Damask pattern of acanthus leaves that lined the sleeves and banded them at the elbow. The Greek print was also on the lace up bodice and apron of the dress, leaving the rest an almost glowing white.

It was the kind of dress a maiden in the 1500's would have worn.

Alice also designed and made Edward's suit. It was nice, but not inspired. She had resigned herself to the fact that it was as nice as any other and that Bella would be receiving all the attention in the small wedding as it was.

Her own maid of honor dress and Jacob's best man suit had only been measured and cut, but she was confident that she would get them done by the late October deadline. She measured Jacob's shoulders twice because she could not believe her own initial measurement of forty-two inches.

The man was as big as a bear.

Emmett brought with him an impressive wardrobe complete with several suits that Alice found both tasteful and flattering on the wedge shaped man. His shoulders were thirty one inches, small compared to Jacob, but he was still a giant next to Jasper and Edward.

The dress fitting took place at Notre Dame, in Alice's newly supplied sewing room. It was down a dark hall, kept lit with a lantern so she could see the colors more effectively. Being a vampire may haved allowed her to see in the dark, but one could not make the delicate hue choices unless one had a truly decent light source. Her room was lit with four lanterns, one on each corner and with mirrors behind them to splash extra light into the anteroom.

Edward was upstairs playing the organ again, induliging Emmett's request to play only religious hymns while he prayed.

Emmett prayed several times a day and his prayers all covered the same territory.

_God? _

_**Yes, my son**__. _

_I'm sorry that I crave human blood. _

_**I forgive you, my son.**_

_I'm sorry that I think about the vampires I killed and enjoy the memory. _

_**I forgive you, my son**__. _

_I'm sorry that I killed that Tanya woman. _

_**She brought you closer to me, my son**__. _

_I should have known it was wrong. She looked so much like Rosalie. I always had the hardest time dealing with that part of it and it should have been a warning._

_**I was testing you, my son, making sure you could do my will even if it meant killing someone who looked like the woman you love…Or even the woman you love. And you passed. You are an angel on earth now, Emmett. You are already purging the land of demons.**_

_But aren't I a demon?_

_**An angel, Emmett. You are an angel and I am very proud of you.**_

Edward told Jacob about Emmett admitting, to himself at least, that he loved Rosalie. Jacob responded by telling Edward not to worry. He was certain that had Rosalie preferred Emmett, she would have chosen him already.

The group was careful not to reveal either Bella or Edward's mental abilities to Emmett since they were still very much relying on those powers to assist them with his inner surveillance. They only heard the 'God' voice when he prayed and, besides the angelic aspect, they felt it was acting as an ally by reassuring and calming Emmett.

He now wept as Edward filled the gothic hall with a harvest of pipe organ notes that swam the gaps between the arches with great strokes. He often thanked God for sharing Edward with him. Emmett believed that his ability to play so beautifully in such a glorious, but forgotten, sacred hall was a divine offering worthy of acknowledgement by the Almighty himself.

Emmett often asked God for Edward to have a chance to play for thousands of people one day and usually reminded God that Bella was a soaring angel herself. Surly she was in his good graces. God always spoke well of the two of them along with everyone else in the group. Emmett grew very loyal very quickly but, then again, he was desperate to belong to anything that could help him understand the new world around him.

Edward began playing one of his all time favorite Easter hymns, _Jesus Christ Is Risen Today_. Oddly enough, he couldn't help but feel like every day was Easter as a vampire. He even sang along with Emmett's baritone to the 'A-a-a-a-a-le-e-lu-u-jah' at the end of each line.

They were all feeling a bit giddy at the excitement of seeing the Cullens again. They even wrote that they would arrive fully armed with photographs of the theatre that Carlisle promised would 'shock the senses' with their beauty.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Edward?" Emmett asked as soon as the hymn was finished.

"Sure you can," Edward said, hopping down from the high bench and trotting over to the pew bound Emmett. He was still on his knees despite the fact that the cathedral had no kneelers for parishioners.

"I really made a difference in my other life," Emmett began, sitting back on the pew when Edward arrived next to him and did the same. "I think that I would like to do something more with my life in New York. And I don't want to let you and Bella down, but I don't think I could be completely happy just helping with the theatre."

Edward could hear that Emmett was quite nervous about stating this out loud but, true to himself, could not let it drop either. He put his arm around Emmett and told him not to worry. "As long as you are serving the greater good, we will be supportive of you Emmett. I have always had a soft spot for law enforcement myself."

"I just want to be useful again," Emmett admitted.

"You have already made a lasting contribution to your country, Emmett," Edward reassured. "You have led us to many villainous groups and were quite effective in battle as well."

"Thank you. But what now?" Emmett asked, earnestly. "I don't know of any others and I have no idea where to start in New York."

"Don't worry about that yet, Emmett," Edward said. "Just keep your eyes and ears open and share your thoughts and findings with the group right away."

"I will."

* * *

When Jasper returned from the hospital later that evening, they all drank their fill of fresh blood. It was Emmett who asked the obvious question.

"What are we going to do for blood in America?" he asked while bashfully wiping a crimson dribble from his chin.

"I could get a job in a hospital," Jasper answered. "But that might take a while."

"We have six months until we have to worry about it," Bella noted, "but we should come up with a plan because we may have no choice but to kill."

"Plenty of gangs in New York," Jasper mused. "Bad men with black hearts. We could choose from them even without witnessing a crime."

"Really?" Alice was surprised. "Is it that bad there?"

"In places," Jasper answered. "Not everywhere, but in Five Points and the Bowery it was pretty rough."

"Makes me glad my folks are coming home," Edward said.

"The closest hot spot for your parents and sister would have been just above Chinatown," Jasper said. "And I doubt they spent much time there."

"Not much," Edward confirmed, "but Rosalie wrote about it to Jacob. She said he would love the bizarre things hanging in the windows."

"Where is Jacob anyway?" Emmett asked.

"He's at a farm north of town," Bells told him. "I used to have a lot of money tied up in property and crops. Jacob has been selling my interest in many operations around the city."

"Why is he there so late?" Alice asked.

"They most likely offered him dinner," Bella laughed. "Jacob never turns down dinner."

"That reminds me," Edward said to Bella. "We should go check on my parent's house. Open it up and give it a dusting."

"We can help with that," Emmett said brightly. Then he looked around at Alice and Jasper. "Can't we?"

They all went over to the dark and stale Cullen house and set about freshening it up for the arrival of its tenants. The girls were distracted by the billiard table, never having been in Carlisle's private parlor above the dining room. They intended to turn the sheets in the master bedroom, but the taboo pastime for women gave them pause.

They stood all wrong, held the pool cue wrong, misunderstood the purpose of the cue ball in general, but made almost every shot they attempted.

Carlisle's billiard room doubled as a library and Bella marveled at the books of classic literature as she strolled around the table. She saw immediately that he was a fan of the immortal Bard and plucked a thin volume of sonnets from a section clearly reserved for Shakespeare located near the bedroom door. Bella read one to Alice as she put ball after ball into the pockets with sharp claps of sound.

_Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

_Which alters when it alteration finds,_

_Or bends with the remover to remove:_

_O no! it is an ever-fixed mark_

_That looks on tempests and is never shaken;_

_It is the star to every wandering bark,_

_Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken._

_Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks_

_Within his bending sickle's compass come:_

_Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_

_But bears it out even to the edge of doom._

_If this be error and upon me proved,_

_I never writ, nor no man ever loved._

"It sounds like he's praying," Alice observed when Bella was finished.

"It does," Bella laughed. "Come to think of it, his sonnets read a lot like psalms."

"Does that one have a name?" Alice asked.

"Sonnet 116," she answered. "The Marriage of True Minds."

"Fitting," Alice remarked.

"Thank you."

"What does it mean exactly?"

"I think he's trying to say that love is ever changing while at the same time a constant guide for humanity." Bella spoke thoughtfully. "He thinks that we should share ourselves completely, faults and all, with our partners and embrace each other for love's worth."

Bella put the book back and took her shot. Edward and Jasper entered a few moments later.

"Where's Emmett?" Alice asked.

"He's in the garden," Edward told her. "It was the worst part of the house but he insisted."

"We were just working our way to the master bedroom." Bella said with a grin that told them she knew they were caught.

"I can see that," Edward laughed. "May we join you?"

"Too late," Alice declared, shooting the last ball into a distant pocket with the leisurely speed of a flutterby but with the aim of an arrow. "We're all done."

"We really need to get in there and change out the linens," Bella said with an apologetic frown.

"We'll go help Emmett then and see you two downstairs," Jasper stated and led Edward from the room.

Emmett swept the leaves from the bricked patio and wiped the spring and winter grime from the iron chairs with woven seats. He noticed that the chess table had been cleared of pieces and pushed under the eave before the Cullens left Paris. Edward confirmed when he came into the garden that Rosalie had all the pieces wrapped up and in her bedroom.

Edward and Jasper straightened up the small stable just outside the garden gate and discussed the trip to Le Havre to pick up the inbound relatives. Jasper, Alice and Emmett would remain in Paris, allowing room in the carriage and some much needed privacy for the reunion. The _La Touraine_ was due into the French port sometime near ten in the evening, as usual. Edward wondered if his parents would remember the wrinkled and warm hearted captain they met the night they left for New York.

They cleared out the stall and poured fresh water for the Cullen's horse, Jessica, who had spent the last six months sharing the stable with Jacob's horses. The three ladies got along despite the fact that horses group by color and the beautiful but gray mare was not always included with the two shiny black Friesians. Jacob knew he would miss the gentle old mare when she was gone.

The group all went back to Notre Dame so Alice could dress up Bella, again, and Emmett could pray, again. Edward and Jasper were planning on drafting a letter to the Paris Historical Society suggesting that they preserve the glorious Notre Dame Cathedral before the city could tear it down. They were even prepared to offer a generous donation if they could keep if from being demolished.

They knew that it might mean Jasper, Alice and Emmett would have to move to the dress shop sooner rather than later but they were convinced that it was the smartest idea. It was a matter of time before the city government took a greater interest in the building. Jasper wanted to ensure the safety of his bottle collection before any of that took place outside of his own control.

"I've gotten almost sixty years out of the old bird," Jasper told Edward while they stood at the altar. Emmett was in a pew near the back, he went there as soon as they all returned. Alice and Bella were in a room near the back of the church and Bella listened to Emmett's 'God' voice as Alice undressed her and helped her into the bell sleeved renaissance gown.

_**You did well my son, I am not displeased.**_

Bella could only hear one side of the conversation and sometimes it sparked more questions than answers.

_**I know you did not mean to…I forgive you…No, my son...Yes, my son…You are doing well…I know you will…**_

Emmett sometimes prayed for a long time.

Bella could only pay attention for a small time before she became overwhelmed. She could not imagine how Edward didn't go mad.

* * *

Jacob arrived at the theatre from his day's travels to find it empty. He spent some time with each horse, freeing her of her bit and harness, giving her light kisses on her nose and two bright green apples each. He thanked them by name but then went over to give the gentle Jessica a few apples of her own before leaving to pursue his friends on foot.

From the Theatre de la Nuit to the city's island and heart was hardly a stroll to Jacob. He entered Notre Dame to find Emmett sitting in one of the pews near the door and Alice yelling from a nearby room, "If that's Edward coming, you mustn't see Bella in her dress."

"It's me," Jacob announced, while Edward squawked from the front of the church that for the one hundredth time he was no where near that room. Nor did he intend to be.

"Oh, Jacob! Come in and see," Bella called to him.

He walked through the hall and turned into Alice's gallery of gowns.

Bella was breathtaking.

Her hair was up in pins and flowed in a controlled cascade of curls down the center of her back. The wooden cross she wore on her neck completed the gothic yet maidenly look to her dress but it was her smile, her warm, genuine, and well earned smile that melted Jacob's heart and very nearly his knees.

"You look magnificent," Jacob said walking over to inspect the intricate laces up her front and back. "I love this dress, it reminds me of…"

"Of your childhood?" Bella said, knowing already that it was a mistake.

Jacob's eyes widened and were instantly covered in water. He covered his face as tears spilled into his hands. He felt dizzy, sick even, and tried to control the furious grief that reached up from where he buried it to grip his throat and squeeze the tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed.

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered.

Jacob made a considerable effort to straighten up and look at Bella. He took his soggy hands away from his face but he was still actively crying and tears coursed fast and ferociously down his dark cheeks.

"Please don't be." Jacob managed, feeling like he was gaining control of his outburst. "It's…very...just that…it's very much like…" Jacob sounded out of breath, he stood there panting and huffing out his words. "…like the ones that…that…" Jacob started breathing in great gulps of air and he suddenly realized that he was not coming out of it.

He was just getting started.

Jacob had the presence of mind to walk over to a small mountain of fabrics and sit before he swallowed hard and cried into his sleeve like he had just lost the lamb. He shook his head a little, his only way of communicating his apology for the breakdown, and was fairly certain that he would not be able to keep quiet enough to go unnoticed by the men in the other room.

He did not.

Emmett was at his side in an instant with an arm around his shoulder and a quick, "Hey there pal, whatever it is we'll get you through it."

They could hear footsteps coming their way and Alice shouted. "Edward Cullen! Don't you dare come into this room!"

Jasper appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.

"Give me a minute will you fellas?" Jacob requested.

They both fled the room like it was on fire. Jasper turned on his heel and bolted for the sanctuary with Emmett in his wake. By the time both men got to the altar where Edward had deposited himself, Emmett had outpaced Jasper. Edward was slightly frustrated. He knew that this was a moment where he could have helped Jacob process and associate a memory in a more productive way, but this just was not the time and place.

Jacob would get by, he always did, but Edward saw the cracks in Jacob's foundation and they were widening. He needed to help Jacob cope or he would never be free. And it looked like his moodiness was gaining power over him.

Jacob was remembering that the dress his mother favored was beige colored with a similar damask in dark green. It was a favorite of hers and he remembered clearly that she cleaned it immediately after every use, an extravagance. It had not been the dress he buried her in but any memory of his mother inevitably led to the harsh window into the past where he felt her fragile body shift in his arms.

"I'm fine," he said after a few moments of hard crying, and he was. "Again, I'm sorry," he said to Alice and Bella. "My guard is down because Rosalie is coming in on Saturday. I am already filled with so much emotion that any extra spills out onto the floor." He chuckled to himself. "It was only good memories I assure you, Bella," he said. "It is one of the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen and you make it ten times more brilliant." He took another moment to admire her.

He collected himself with a few deep breaths and reported that he made the farmers a very generous offer which they gratefully accepted. "You are out of the crop business for good," he announced as he handed her a few documents, confirming that she had liquidated her assets in land holdings. The money was substantial and Jacob was pleased that he also allowed the families they worked with to now retain all the revenue of their labors. It had been a good day for everyone involved.

Bella knew that if those deeds to properties in America were valid she was not yet out of the crop business, but she desperately wanted to be. She considered the option of giving them to Jasper and Alice to do with what they pleased. He was from the South and knew the area best anyway. He would know how to manage the lands or even sell them for the best price if he wanted to. When she mentioned the thought to Jacob and Alice, they found it appealing and knew the others would agree. Alice was moved and, with Jacob's display still fresh in her heart, she produced a few shy tears that quickly found the back of her hand.

When Jacob went into the church to talk with the others, Edward and Jasper acted like nothing had happened. Emmett walked up and put his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"I'll pray for you," he spoke softly.

* * *

Saturday, June 11th, 1892, was the longest day of Jacob's life.

Since he never slept, midnight was just another tick on the clock and he now had about twenty two hours, give or take. From Midnight until four o'clock he joined Bella, Edward, Jasper, Alice and Emmett in the orchestra pit of the theatre. Everyone sampled instruments and tried to keep up when either Edward or Bella improvised a melody that the other picked up on.

They all showed musical promise in their own way. Jasper was most comfortable with a guitar in his hands and clearly knew how to play. His horn skills were abysmal, even after a brief lesson from Bella who was famous for her ability to turn anyone into a brassman.

Alice liked the flute and had the lips for it but not the fingering. Bella, however, was impressed as that made a total of six instruments that she felt Alice played well after several years of tutelage.

Emmett liked the cello but he would pluck it like a bass or become distracted with the drums. Laurent took his sticks and brushes with him, of course, but the instruments were Bella's and she and Jacob had already hired the company that would ship them safely to New York. The theatre was set to be packed up two days after Christmas.

It did not take long for Emmett to find something to strike the drums with and the boy had a good solid rhythm in him. Keeping the beat was important but his playing was an unorganized jumble of bings, boings and bongs compared to what Bella could do. When she did sit down to play the drums near the end of the session, she blew them all away with a display of speed and precision that made the medical professionals in the room wonder what else women could do with their hands just as well as men.

She played with her hands, using her fingertips mostly and the brush of them on the various animal hides was like bat wings fluttering.

Jacob liked the trumpet. Like Bella, he admired its simplicity and its sheer potential for volume. He provided a few muted blats to the tunes that arose from the fog of sputters all evening long. When everyone had long been in bed he still sat in the pit, cleaning up and plucking the occasional violin string.

He had nothing to do all day but wait.

Jacob's room had been under the watchful eye of the miniature suit of armor that sat in the potted fig tree he maintained. By mid-morning Jacob found his way onto the circular bench that surrounded it, looking up at the tiny knight that stuck out like a kitten amidst the branches. It looked like some kind of plant guardian. A protector of the fig.

Jacob liked it there. He never felt like it was the right replacement for the King he had knocked over the day Edward was shot but also knew that he could do better than Emmett's stand in. Somehow, Jacob knew that the gift was harmless and that Emmett had never even come close to being suggestive or forward with Rosalie. He knew that Emmett's love for Rosalie could have been great but his manners were thus far flawless. Jacob would let his actions speak for themselves and allow the gift to go unchallenged.

Jacob finally decided to get himself some breakfast and walked a few blocks over to a bistro that concerned itself with quantity over quality and that suited him just fine. He let the morning sun bake his black hair as he ate a few plates of sausage, bread, cheese and fruit. He drank weak tea and tried not to count every beat of his heart.

Yet the noon hour brought with it a sense of surrealism for Jacob. _I'm going to be with her before the clock strikes twelve again, _he thought. The realization made him smile like a fool at a flower.

It was quiet for a Saturday so Jacob went down to the garment shops and found a scarf for Rosalie that reminded him of a pretty light blue breeze. Jacob thought of her hair against it and touched it to his neck as he left the small boutique.

He decided to venture down to Bella and Edward's room.

To read.

Loudly.

Until someone woke up and spoke to him.

He chose a particularly poignant novel by Jules Verne called _Le Chemin de France._

He practically stomped over to one of the two reading chairs that sat on the wall opposite of the long bookshelf and threw himself into it.

"A Flight to France," Jacob read from the first edition book published in Toronto, Canada and purchased for Bella two Christmases before. "The Memoirs of a Dragoon." He continued brightly. "A Tale of the Days of Dumouriez by Jules Ve…."

"Jacob?" It was Bella. She sounded sleepy.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Why don't you go take a bath?"

Jacob sat up in the chair.

_That would feel wonderful,_ Jacob thought, while sniffing his hand. _I could use a bath,_ _and it usually takes a while so this could kill a few hours._

"He's going to do it," Edward whispered to Bella as they snuggled in their silk cocoon.

Jacob stood up and trotted into the washroom. "Thank you," he called over his shoulder.

"Thank you," Bella said mostly to herself and tucked in tighter to Edward. They still had hours of cuddle time planned.

Jacob began heating the water which involved a crude furnace and, if one really wanted progress, two fires. He spent an hour setting up a bath that he planned on spending at least that much time in.

Eventually, the water was so hot it was cloudy. Jacob striped down and ducked under the copper cone that sat above the stone tub. Jacob did not run water down the surface of the tub's hood because he wanted the surface of his bath to be still. He lowered his head below the water and soaked in the muffled rush of peace.

Jacob could scarcely believe that he had this much access to water and felt very thankful for the private bath he enjoyed. He floated on his back like a lone lily pad in a perfectly round pond and let his long hair spread like baby's toes under the tickle of the water. His muscles were treated to a steaming paradise and he used the wedge of soap sitting on the lip of the tub to lather his body in white bubbles twice before tackling his hair.

Bella had an assortment of oils and butters and treatments for her hair that all females seemed to subscribe to, but he used the wedge of soap to fill his hands with a cloud of clean that he transported to his head in a frenzy of scrubbing. He washed his hair until it squeaked with pride and then he spent another half hour swimming about or floating on his stomach with his head to one side and his hands holding onto the outside step.

He realized too late that he had not brought any clean clothes and saw absolutely nothing in the bathroom he could use to towel off. So he decided to run upstairs solving both problems at once. He stood up and allowed the bulk of the water to drip from his body in the first few seconds then he dashed out the curtain and up the stairs to Bella's stage room with the black carpet on the floor and the walls and the army of cushions on upholstered love seats.

He threw open the double doors and ran for the widest part of the pit center stage. He leapt over the gap and thought briefly how unpleasant the view would have been for anyone in the pit at that moment before he landed on the floor in the front row. He had to walk sideways to get to the aisle. It slowed down his momentum but it would have looked darling from either side as he shuffled along toward the right hand walkway.

He sprinted through the auditorium and lobby and was now completely dried off, with the exception of his hair and a few fat drops on his back, by the time he reached the first balcony hall. His room was warm with sunlight as he found a comfortable pair of handsome trousers and a cotton shirt that may or may not have showed off his muscular chest.

Bella woke up at half past three o'clock and Edward stirred when she opened the vault. She crossed the room and picked up the copy of _Flight to France_ and returned it to the bookshelf with a smirk. Jacob was antsy, that was precious.

Edward was now also wide awake and got up a few moments after Bella did. He dressed and, when she did the same, they went up to send Jacob off. The spiral staircase had water drops on it as they wound their way up, and they could see the diminishing trail lead off the edge of the stage. It ended after that and Edward had the urge to look down into the pit to see if Jacob had made the jump.

They found him in the auditorium heading their way to say goodbye. He had only to feed and harness the horses and he would be on his way. The hugs were brief and the mood was light. "Have a good trip," Bella smiled. "We'll wave at you when we pass."

"I don't know about that." Jacob looked like he was about to boast. "I think I might actually beat you there this time."

"What makes you say that?" Bella asked.

"Because he's leaving two hours early," Edward observed.

Jacob laughed and nodded to Edward. "I can't sit around here anymore. Thanks for the bath, by the way, but I want to get on the road. Besides, sometimes ships arrive early."

"That's true," Bella agreed, "and you're welcome. It's Diamond Beard we're talking about, after all, so I bet they're in La Havre already."

Jacob looked panicked for a pitiful fraction of a second as he allowed himself to entertain the possibility that Rosalie was already in the country and waiting for him on empty docks.

"It's not," Edward said. "The weather has been bad. He is mostly likely behind schedule."

Jacob laughed but was out the door moments later with a wave and a promise to ride carefully.

He always drove carefully, but he asked the horses to trot every few miles. And when he thought he saw a ship on the horizon, he bade them gallop for a mile and a half until he saw that it was an outbound cargo vessel.

Jacob made it to La Havre by eighty thirty. The sun had not even dipped below the ocean's choppy waves yet and there was also no sign of the _La Touraine_. Edward and Bella came walking up more than an hour after that and there were still only small fishing boats on the water.

It was not until Jacob begged Bella to fly out over the water and look for the vessel that the ship's smoke stacks popped above the horizon like two lemurs in tall grass. The tall masts at either end of the ship were for sails that were never once used in the ship's entire career and were visible before the smoke stacks, but it was impossible to tell which ship was which until the body was visible or one could count the lines of smoke clearly.

Jacob was a ball of nerves the whole hour it took for the ship to come into the harbor proper, and he cursed himself for not asking to borrow Jasper's telescope.

_I bet she's on the deck right now, and I can't see her. _

"Take it easy," Edward instructed. "You're liable to squeeze her until her head pops off."

Jacob initially looked shocked but soon began to laugh and his voice echoed all the way to the approaching ocean liner.

When the ship was close enough to throw ropes, Jacob was pacing up and down the docks trying to catch a glimpse of Rosalie's blonde hair. He experienced several false alarms and still had not located her by the time people began streaming from the two platforms that extended from the ship like arms.

They waited at a distance where they could see both planks. They watched as the scores of passengers became smatterings of people.

And then the smatterings of people became a small collection of officers and crewmen.

"They're not on the ship," Jacob whispered at last.

And, in their hearts, Bella and Edward knew he was right.

**

* * *

****Notes:**

**Congratulations to Snowqueen's Icedragon on the one year anniversary of Master of the Universe. Maybe you've heard of it?**

**I would like to raise my glass to Sebastien Robichaud, who posted the final chapter on his brilliant story, The University of Edward Masen, earlier today.**

**As you all know by now he has been an inspiration to me.**

**Thank you SR for showing the fandom that a story can be fueled by powerful sentiment and intelligent conversation. You've earned a well deserved break but please come back to us very soon as you are leaving a crater in the fandom with your absence.**

**If you happen to find yourself at the bottom of my notes and still have not read this story, I urge you to do so. **

**It is a feast for the heart.**

**Cheers, SiR!**

**MOG**


	29. Chapter 29: C'est Dommage

**Disclaimer:**

**It took Stephenie Meyer six years to write four books.**

**It took Morgan Locklear 27 years to find that song from **

**Greatest American Hero on CD**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Twenty Nine:**

**C'est Dommage**

Le Havre had been chased down by a storm all day and it finally caught up to the French port. The wind whipped Jacob's hair as he stood on the dock and looked at the emptying ship. He eyed the black clouds rushing as he began walking briskly toward the vessel, Edward and Bella in his wake.

By the time they boarded the ship and located the Captain, it was all but deserted. The emptiness mocked Jacob as he sped down the narrow corridors to the familiar bridge and its command crew.

"Hello, Mr. Black," Captain Caussin greeted him. "Is Bella…? Oh, hello Miss Swan. Is something wrong?" He could see the wild in their eyes and it unsettled him. Sailors with that look were either drunk or scared, and these three did not look drunk.

Edward entered the room last but it was he who spoke to Diamond Beard. "We were expecting my family to return on this ship, Captain."

"Is that so?" the captain responded. He seemed surprised, and possibly a little hurt. "I haven't seen them at all, but it has been a very stormy voyage. I haven't had the time to socialize as much as I'd like. I do hope their trip wasn't unpleasant, we…"

"You don't understand," Edward said calmly, "they are nowhere to be found."

The captain frowned, then turned to one of his officers and asked for a passenger list. The young man produced several dozen pages of names and the captain began scanning the list.

"Here they are!" he exclaimed. "Cabin Fifteen D."

He began walking out of the room and the three of them followed in hopeful silence.

"You say you haven't seen them?" the Captain asked. "Well, that's not uncommon. They may not even know that we've arrived."

They went down two flights of grand stairs that emptied into a main salon, which was as nice as their theatre. After passing through, they followed Diamond Beard down a narrow hall to a door with 15D on it.

The captain knocked twice sharply and walked inside.

"Hello?"

Edward recognized the Cullen baggage at once. Their bags were sitting in the middle of the room on an ornate rug where dark blue and gold blended together, giving the appearance of a grand painting on the floor, framed by the wood it sat on. "What does this mean?" he asked.

"They must be looking for the porter," came the captain's unconvincing response.

Typically, Jacob was silent to the point of invisibility in situations like these. That tended to make it all the more unsettling when he announced himself. He walked quickly over and stood between the captain and the door when the man whirled around to seek out said porter.

Jacob cleared his throat, twice. "They are not on the ship, sir, nor did they leave when she docked." He forced this understanding onto the man with a severe stare before he continued. "Could they have been lost at sea?"

Bella gasped, the thought was crushing to her. Jacob held up his finger sternly to let the captain answer.

Captain Charles "Diamond Beard" Caussin was true to his word. A month earlier, he reported to Bella that he had indeed seen her theatre with his own eyes and that it was as spectacular as it was sturdy. He thoroughly commended the formal entrance to the lobby and wished to know the architect. When she told him it was Jacob he made a note to thank the ever surprising young man the next time they spoke.

That time had come.

Captain Caussin considered the question deeply. When he answered he looked directly into Jacob's eyes. "Absolutely not." he answered with confidence. "Not even in this weather, and certainly not all three of them at once."

Jacob agreed with the captain's assessment that it was unlikely, so he moved on. "What could it be? What does experience tell you happened here, Captain?"

The captain looked at the bags and then walked into the second section of the suite for a brief moment. "They didn't even spend one night on board." He was smiling. "They just missed the launch that's all."

"How can that be?" Edward said. "Clearly they were onboard."

"We load these ships slowly over two days or more," the Captain said patiently, "and we don't start meal services until we are at sea. They must have gone out for a meal and lost track of time. It's not uncommon."

"Would they be on the next ship?" Edward asked.

"That's my guess," the captain said.

"When is it due?"

"The _La Bourgogne_ is a day behind us, and I'm certain that they would have been allowed passage. No doubt they had their tickets with them and explained to an officer what happened. Even if the ship was full they would have been allowed to travel in steerage if they chose."

Jacob smoothly stepped aside. "May we be allowed to sleep aboard your vessel while we wait for tomorrow's arrival?" he asked.

"Certainly," the captain replied. "You can have my officers' quarters."

"No, thank you," Edward countered. "We would prefer an inner cabin. Even steerage would be sufficient."

"Nonsense," the captain said. "We can do better than that."

Bella stepped forward and took the captain gently by the hand. "We have already been too much trouble," she said, keeping his eyes focused on hers. "We prefer to take our family's belongings to a less refined part of the ship and sleep. We have been up for days and wish to remain undisturbed." She smiled at him sheepishly. She felt mildly guilty for the glazed look in his eyes, but the smile only made it easer for him to bob his head up and down like a puppy watching a flutterby. "If you are still insistent on showing us your hospitality, maybe you could offer us a small cargo area below decks?"

"I have my personal belongings bay," he responded. "It's quite big and even has electricity. But there are no windows or beds."

"How big is quite big?" Jacob asked.

"Big enough to hold my carriage and several cabinets I purchase in New York whenever I get the chance," he answered as he gazed at Bella's enchanting face. "I will have it cleared out within the hour."

"Thank you so very much Captain…uh….Diamond Beard." Bella realized that she only knew him by his nickname and the conversation quickly became more personal than she could have anticipated.

"Please," he offered, charmed by her nervous laugh. "Call me Charles."

"Charles," Bella chewed on the name like it was licorice. "That's my father's name. May I call you Charlie?"

He laughed. "I'd like that."

* * *

They were invited to remain in the Cullen's cabin while theirs was emptied. The captain, who lived nearby, confirmed his orders and took his carriage the eleven miles home for the evening.

Edward opened his father's bags while they waited. He found an undelivered birthday card for Bella sitting right on top of the worn clothes. It was signed by them all and the words "HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY" were written inside.

Bella had, in fact, turned 380 the previous month and the Cullens knew this. Esme's joke was accompanied by a cryptic hint about her back stage dressing rooms and how her birthday present awaited her there.

It was possibly the last thing she ever wrote and this knowledge was twisting Edward from his belly to his brain.

Edward could tell that Jacob's worry had him teetering on the edge. Jacob had begun to seriously fear about transforming into a wolf involuntarily for the first time in a very, very long time. He could also hear Bella worrying about how they were both feeling.

Edward's optimistic side seized on the captain's theory of a missed departure and he was happy to focus on that scenario. He knew there was nothing else he could do. He had considered one other action but Bella had cut him off with a thought.

_You are NOT going to go running out onto that ocean with your speedy little pitter patter feet and wind up missing the ship and getting lost out there… I will consider flying, of course, but let's get downstairs and discuss it first._

Edward reread the card and saw that both Carlisle and Esme also included clues to birthday gifts that, sadly, were all the way back in New York. They very well knew that she would have to wait another six months to receive them and that even another Christmas would go by before she went to America. But they were a bit wicked that way. Edward confirmed it with a chuckle. "They did something for your dress rack and your books as well," he said, handing her the card. "They'll probably get you something for a wedding present that will compliment it, but we still won't know what it means until after we get there."

"Did they do this kind of thing to you as children?" Bella laughed, grateful for the distraction for them all.

"Oh, it was worse," he recalled. "They would put us in the buggy and drive for days never telling us where we were going. They took us to Rome one summer that way. It took us half the summer to get there though so we stayed a week and went home."

Bella laughed heartily and Edward thanked her with a smile. He could hear that Jacob was calming down, the light conversation allowing him to put things into perspective.

The Cullens were safe, just not on this ship.

Together, the three friends went through all the bags and found just what they expected to - clothes and personal possessions. They went through the large monogrammed Cullen trunk and found both leather cases as well as worn building plans with numerous equations scratched on them. Jacob took the plans, grateful for the distraction of deciphering the things written on it.

The trunk also held nearly two thousand American dollars and some property deeds for lots that sat along the west side of a colossal park built at one end of the city.

Edward examined the documents carefully. "It looks like my father owns some property across from Central Park."

Jacob strode over and plucked the examiner's report from Edward's generous hand. "I don't know why it's called Central Park," he puzzled. "It's all the way north of the city."

"I'm surprised the map even goes up that far," Edward agreed.

"Our theatre is halfway between Battery and Central Park isn't it?" Bella asked, walking over to Jacob.

"Roughly speaking," he said.

"Good," she sighed, "I want to be down where the action is."

"Maybe this is where they plan to live," Jacob speculated, squinting at the grids on the surveyor's map he held. "It looks like mostly houses along both sides of the park."

"Who would want to live way up there?" Edward laughed.

They only had to wait thirty minutes before they were taken down to a spacious and completely walled in compartment that already held Jacob's carriage. It had been driven in through a drawbridge door that made up the wall facing outward. They were informed that the horses were being stabled near the docks at a place recommended by the crew.

The three of them were pleased to find that several dozen blankets were provided and Jacob suggested that they shove most of them into the space between the benches in the carriage. He assured them that it would make a very comfortable bed.

Jacob would be wandering the ship or Le Havre itself in a futile attempt to make another day pass swiftly.

* * *

Morning arrived with a warm wind that pushed Jacob's hair straight back from his forehead while he stood on the port side of the ship looking west, toward America.

He knew he was a patient man but could not help but believe that this waiting was going to bear no fruit. The storm had passed, but he could see its sister on the horizon. And it was her big sister.

Bella had indeed offered to fly out over the Atlantic the night before in search of the _La Bourgogne_ but Jacob had talked her out of the idea. He reasoned that they could do little with whatever information they received. He explained to her that if the Cullens were not aboard they would take the next ship to New York and that they were already sleeping on it. He also did not want her flying when there was a chance of lightning.

Jacob strolled along the boardwalk to the stable where his horses were kept. It was a fine establishment and the captain had already paid for two nights of food and lodging for the animals. The black Friesians whinnied when they saw him and fought over his rough hand on their noses. Jacob stayed for a while letting the beasts calm his nerves and lighten his heart. Then he found something to eat.

They liked sausage in Le Havre. To be honest, Jacob thought the whole country of France was a bit sausage happy but in Le Havre they had links hanging from nearly every vendor's stall.

He ate some creamed chipped beef and sopped it up with two loaves of sourdough bread as the noon hour slipped by as slow as an oak tree's cycle.

Jacob spotted Captain Caussin just as he was asking for a second glass of milk and invited him over. "Thank you again for your hospitality," he said. "And I must say that your thoughtfulness as to the care of my horses was top drawer, sir. Top drawer."

"You are welcome my good man. How did you sleep?" he asked with a mild tone of concern.

"As well as ever," Jacob replied smoothly. "Edward and Bella are still out."

"I do wish you would let me move you to one of the finer suites."

Jacob shook his head. "Now, now my dear sir, Bella wouldn't allow it. She likes to travel as commonly as possible but she does require her privacy so the use of your personal compartment is perfect for us."

"Well, I'm glad I could help." With that he stood up and walked away, offering Jacob a friendly wave and an invitation for all three of them to join him for tea at three on the bridge.

Jacob watched the captain's slightly bowlegged gate as he made his way to his ship and thought about how he would have to cover for Edward and Bella. The bridge had little porthole windows that would stab the room with shafts of deadly sunlight from any direction.

He finished his meal and then pitched in with the unloading of the _La Touraine_. He spoke with sailors and shorehands for a few hours, learning much about America by the exports but even more by the things they demanded. It seemed that America could make its own furniture and grow beautiful fruits and vegetables, but could not make a decent truffle to save its life.

He was also offered a quick inside tour by a red headed man with a slight build and a filthy coal streaked cap perched on his head. He led Jacob down into a stifling engine room where a long propeller shaft disappeared into the port wall of the vessel. The other end was embedded in an engine that was as big as a horse carriage and, since the room was silent, he was allowed to climb under the railing and touch the sleeping beast.

The little fellow, Hugo, then led Jacob to the boiler room. It looked more like a cave than a ship with stalactite chains hanging from the ceiling and so much soot on the walls that he could not see the rivets.

"The fiercest and most exacting labor to which mortal can be set," Hugo said glumly. "This is my room."

Jacob did not want to insult the man but taking one look at the heavy shovel made him doubt if Hugo could lift it empty, let alone brimming with coal.

"I'm the supervisor," he stated, as though he sensed Jacob's thoughts.

Jacob nodded and pointed at the rails on the floor. "What are those for?"

"We have carts that move the coal from port to starboard. They are being replaced today so we removed the old ones this morning."

"How hot does it get in here?"

Hugo shrugged his shoulders. "Really hot."

"How much coal does it burn?"

"About two hundred and fifty tons."

"A trip?" Jacob was impressed.

"A day," Hugo answered with a smile.

Jacob was astonished. "Where are the stores?"

Hugo showed him. There were several gigantic rooms being loaded with coal from doors that were hinged at the bottom and dropped right onto the docks where the heavy fuel could be loaded by a flurry of boys and girls making a franc a day. They pushed what looked like miniature wooden mine cars and had smudges all over their hands and faces.

Jacob made his way to the bridge on time with a firm handshake and a respectful few words to Hugo before he left the man's company. Captain Caussin was already on the bridge, a severe look on his face.

"The _La Bourgogne_ is early, a hundred miles out in fact. I received the Morse report from my operator and sent a request to have them search their passenger list for the Cullens."

He walked over and put his hand on Jacob's shoulder. He remembered very well the young Rosalie Cullen from their brief introduction on the bridge of the _La Bretange_. He also remembered how lovesick both she and Jacob looked even then.

"They aren't aboard. I don't know what to say, lad."

Jacob's head lowered briefly. He felt a lifetime of sorrow in those few seconds. When he looked up again, his face was a mask of determination. "When do you leave for New York?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"May we travel there in your baggage hold? We'll pay, of course."

"It's yours," the captain declared, "as is an invitation to dine with me each and every night. And don't even think about paying young man. Just promise to give me a tour of the inside of your magnificent building." Captain Caussin was pleased to offer a diversion and good cheer during what would be a very long journey for the distraught young man and his friends.

"Thank you, I will." Jacob agreed. "We will go to Paris tonight and return tomorrow by this time, if that is alright?"

"We are scheduled to depart at five thirty so that should be fine," the captain confirmed, habitually looking at his pocket watch.

Jacob took both the captain's small cold hands into his enormous and fevered mitts. "Thank you for this, Charles."

"Call me Charlie."

Jacob walked down to where Edward and Bella were stationed and heard that they were awake before he reached their door. The compartment they were in was really just a big iron box and the echoes, even with the carriage in the room, were stadium sized. The two songbirds had decided to tweet in their cage and when Jacob entered the space, he saw that Edward's eyes were wide with wonder. He no doubt was being treated to barrage of blue sound waves that crisscrossed into fog.

Jacob stepped into the room and closed the door.

"Oh no." Edward said, his delighted look instantly traded for terse disappointment. "They aren't on board the other ship," he explained to Bella.

Jacob approached them and put both hands on Edward's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't know how I was going to break it to you."

Edward chuckled thickly. He had been counting on this to end well and could feel the emotion threaten to make his eyes blink and his heart clench. He turned his thoughts inward and quickly swooped through his mental barnyard, scooping up every so called worry chicken he could find and threw them all into the barn, locking the door.

He immediately felt better.

For he now felt nothing.

"Now what?" Bella asked.

"We leave for New York tomorrow," Jacob said. "Get in." He gestured towards the carriage. "We have one day to pack."

Edward and Bella entered the carriage and Jacob unbolted then lowered the drawbridge door and pushed the carriage out by hand onto the dock. He then took the short walk to the stables where his horses were kept and was hitching them to the coach in mere moments.

Edward gave Bella a worried look that, even in the dark, told her he was concerned about Jacob's well being.

"There's no hurry," Bella said softly, soothingly. "You said yourself that we have a whole day."

Jacob heard her, of course, but did not say anything. His movements slowed down a little and when he climbed onto the bench he tapped his lead horse lightly, gently and told them both that he would take it easy on them this trip.

* * *

By the time they arrived in Paris, it was after sunset and Bella was riding up front with Jacob. They went to the Cullen house because it was where Jasper, Alice and Emmett were planning to meet them.

Edward delivered the news in the garden where they found the trio. He was concise and when the brief explanation was over, Jacob stood up. "We are going to New York to look for them. We leave tomorrow."

"We're coming with you," Alice said and gave both Emmett and Jasper a look that communicated effectively, 'defy me and die.'

"That's very generous of you Alice but…" Edward knew this would happen.

"We are going and that's all there is to it."

"How will we all feed?" came Bella's small voice.

Jasper sighed. "That's what I was just pondering. The newborns can last a week with one bottle of vampire blood but even they will be ravenous and unpredictable by the time we get there." He looked at Bella. "You and I will become unthinking monsters if we go six days without proper blood."

"How much can you get from the hospital?" Jacob asked.

Jasper looked up, calculating math in his head. "I'd say I can get us half way there. We will have to find nourishment along the way."

"We can't do that to innocent people," Edward stated but without as much conviction as usual. It was as if he knew he should say it, but was not sure why.

Bella walked over to him. "Edward," she said softly, soothingly, "We have been very fortunate to have been sin free for the past year, but this is the time for action and we may have to do things we don't want to. Think of your family, they obviously need you." She had an idea just then. "If you find me those with villainous hearts, I can talk them into coming downstairs with me. Their deaths will be swift."

Edward agreed by nodding his head. "That sounds acceptable. I hear so much filth every day that I'd bet I can find someone every night if that's what we need."

"No crew members," Jasper warned. "No one traveling with companions either. We want people who won't be missed."

For a split second Bella wondered if the Cullens were beset upon by vampires and Edward heard her musings.

She watched him react to her thought, consider it himself and then bring it up to the group with a nod to her. In the end, it was the fact that their bags were still all sitting together completely unpacked that suggested they weren't fed upon while out to sea.

They simply missed the boat.

And then the next.

The group spent the night moving out of Notre Dame completely. Every last bizarre invention and jar of Jasper's went to the theatre and was stored in the room at the back of the stage. His bottles of precious dark liquid were quickly stored in wooden wine crates he had pinched from bistros over the last century. He knew the day would come and wound up with six cases too many.

It took four trips to move the blood alone. Each load had fourteen cases holding twelve bottles each and, on the last run, Jasper carried a single bottle in his arms. His thumb was over the cork.

Alice had two loads herself but, even though everyone possessed super human speed and the work proceeded fast, it was driving stuffed coach over the Seine a dozen times that devoured the ticking clock. Alice's belongings were taken to the second floor, where she draped her fabrics over the dozen box rails that lined the first tier of the auditorium. By the time her task was complete, she had used every balcony up to and including the fourth floor. It looked like the theatre had been taken over by gypsies.

Emmett enjoyed the work. He was very organized and able to pack things into the carriage so efficiently that he appeared to be performing a miracle. He was also very tender with delicate items and arranged everything so perfectly that Bella suggested he consider opening a moving company.

"Good idea," Alice said, honestly. "All you need to start is a box."

"I could only work at night," Emmett pondered, working out the snares in a fun sounding vocation.

"That's alright," Jacob replied. "You could call it the Wake Up Moving Company, where they're so fast, you'll wake up already there."

The unexpected joke received a good laugh. The group was on its last load, which included some of Emmett's medical souvenirs and texts as well as three large books on the game of chess, a bicycle he refused to give up and the rest of his clothes.

"Or you could hire Bella and call it the Fly By Night Moving Company," Edward added. The group groaned.

Emmett even prayed about it later that evening just before they left Notre Dame for good.

There was still an hour until sunrise when they all walked into the theatre as roommates.

"Remember," Jacob said to Emmett, Jasper and Alice. "You can go anywhere in the theatre during the day, except for my room and the lobby."

"I have to go to the hospital and stock up," Jasper said. "And resign."

"Are you sure about that?" Edward asked. "You were going to stay there until after Christmas."

"Right," Jasper said, "when we were going to move to New York."

"We're coming back," Bella stated firmly.

"I don't think so," Jasper told her. "Something tells me this is it."

"I don't want to worry about bringing wagons of goods with us," Edward spoke. "We need to just get there and get to my family."

"I understand," Jasper was sympathetic. "And Lord knows I can't take six hundred bottles of blood with me, but I think that when we come back it will be just to gather up our things and bring them to our new home."

"When the time comes, I'll come back and do it," Emmett said eagerly to his maker. "You can be the first customers of my new company."

"Wait!" Jacob said suddenly. "We have to be on the ship before sunset which means you all need to be in the carriage before dawn! There is no other way to get you in without going outside!"

"But I have to go to Val de Grace," Jasper protested.

"We don't have the time," Jacob said with determination.

"We need that blood," Jasper argued, "or you will arrive in America on a ship of corpses."

Jacob was frustrated but also knew he was right. "We go right now. The rest of you pack what you need. We will be back before the sun comes out."

Jasper left a letter explaining his sudden departure on his desk and took over ten liters of blood in just over twenty minutes. He had brought several water skins to fill but had to resort to, of all things, frosting bags he found upstairs with a baker's belongings.

Jacob sped into the stables accompanied by the morning birds that heralded the dawn.

Four vampires rushed out and joined their friend in the carriage. There were three on one bench and two on the other, it was not going to be a very crowded ride since they could all hear Jacob attaching a little farm cart he used from time to time onto the back of the coach.

He placed all their bags into it except for the frosting bags, which he handed over to the traveling companions. He was on the bench and facing the sun as it splashed his face in yellow warmth. "Tell them what you told me," Jacob said as he handed a bag to Jasper.

Jasper informed his friends that if they spent the whole day indulging their thirst and drank their fill and then some, it would provide them with an easier first two days. He told them all that if they oversaturated themselves, they may even be able to skip a whole day. He assured them that it was not dangerous and toasted the rising sun.

Jasper was reverent and contemplative all day, overcome by the sight of such a foreign constant in his life. Emmett had not yet begun to miss daylight and was less impressed. Alice, however, was riveted to the right side window, kneeling in front of it with her feet in the aisle. No one minded as Edward checked the lock on the door a hundred times before they arrived in the port town.

The daylit road to Le Havre was a feast for the eyes of old vampires. Bella and Jasper looked up at the skylight mostly, staring right at the fiery orb tinted by the thick grey windows. The younger vampires watched the houses and trees shuffle by as Jacob pressed northwest.

They reached the ship well before its departure and Jacob accepted no help as he lowered the large door to the compartment he counted rivets to get to. He saw that the captain had placed three beds along the wall, as well as a table with four upholstered chairs.

He unhitched and pushed the small farm cart into one corner and then released the horses. He tied their leads to a dock post as he pushed the carriage inside and raised the door. When it slammed shut he instructed one of the occupants in the coach to bolt and secure it in place. He was rewarded with the satisfying sound of metal sliding on metal and told his friends to sit tight while he thanked the captain for the accommodations, inquired about his horses' requirements along the way and informed him that they were now a party of six.

Bella exited the carriage and looked around at the beds and table. "Isn't he sweet?" she whispered. "We are safe anywhere on this level and the two below us but stay towards the middle of the ship if you go any higher than this during the day."

Jacob returned a few moments later and informed them that the captain himself would be along shortly to meet everyone.

"Was he upset that you brought extra people?" Alice asked.

"On the contrary," Jacob answered. "He seemed especially pleased that he would be having a larger group at his table. We are invited to dinner at eight in the main dining salon."

Captain Caussin confirmed the statement a short time later. Charlie came down and extended the invitation to everyone personally along with his hand. "Jacob tells me that you are going to help them find your missing friends."

"Yes, sir," Jasper said.

"I commend you all and I will make it my purpose to comfort your travels. I will contact every ship we pass in order to exhaust the possibility that you could miss them along the way."

"That is very kind or you, Charlie," Bella spoke. "You have become a dear friend in a short time."

He waved the statement off but his cheeks warmed. "I will have three more beds brought in as well as two more chairs," he stated. Bella found the glassy look in his eyes very becoming for a man with such deep laugh lines in his face.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Could we please get something to keep the carriage from moving?" Jacob asked.

"Of course," the captain responded. Fifteen minutes later, they even had a tray of fresh fruit, a second smaller table, a deck of playing cards and a few small but cheery plants. He also assigned them a personal porter, Vernon, and Jacob learned that Hugo would be passing by frequently. He also offered his assistance whenever possible.

They settled in while the engines stirred to life and they felt the world spin beneath their feet. The large ship slinked between countless vessels moored in the V shaped bay and pointed its nose due west before the activity in the boiler room encouraged the engine to spin the propellers even faster. It took over an hour to reach full speed and, by that time, the sun was a memory in the sky ahead of them.

France was a memory behind.

The group ventured out onto the decks and milled about with over nine hundred other passengers that were along for the ride. The ocean was a chorus of a thousand small sounds that washed together for almost everyone. To Edward, who could differentiate the sets of hands applauding at the last show, it sounded like a million murmurs and tiny splashes.

Dinner was a very formal affair. The captain had even changed his clothes for the occasion.

He told them that he had taken the liberty of speaking to some of his peers and had discovered several instances where parties had checked into a ship's cabin and had been detained by one of the numerous extravagances in New York. "And it's such a loud city," he told them. "You can't hear yourself think, let alone hear the harbor calls."

He was also pleased to inform them that the French Line had begun encouraging patrons separated from their baggage to delay their departure until their bags were returned to them. The mere possibility that their loved ones might actually be waiting for them when they arrived in New York made Jacob shiver with joy.

"Makes sense to me," Alice said. "Who wants to go on a boat ride with nothing to wear?"

Captain Caussin, who was easily charmed by beautiful women, was thrilled with the company of both Bella and Alice despite their obvious attachments. He was only interested in their social engagements, after all, and noticed that the innocence often provided him with a more unguarded conversation. The captain, a keen observer and a gifted orator, would often spend hours drinking stories out of people and telling tales of his own. Tales so big they needed their own life rafts.

Edward's wit and intellect impressed him greatly, as did Emmett's natural ability to make everyone feel included, but it was Jacob with whom the captain spent most of his time talking to. Both men shared a love of invention and they led a lively discussion with Jasper and Emmett about the future of radio communication.

Bella and Alice joined in as well but had already heard this particular discussion a dozen times before. Eventually, they busied themselves with a stroll through the gorgeous salon and out on deck under the stars.

"It means so much that you came with us, Alice," Bella spoke with sincerity.

"We had to," Alice responded. "You have always been there for me."

There were many people out in the ocean breeze. Everyone's eyes squinted just a bit. The two women stood on the starboard side of the ship and gazed North. They hugged each other pretending that they needed to keep warm and listened to the purr of the ocean as they skipped on top of it like a wind blown leaf.

They returned in time for the captain's traditional Bon Voyage toast and sipped champagne as they all took turns asking questions about the ship. This was standard conversation for the first night on a voyage and Charlie answered each question as if he had not been asked it a thousand times before.

He asked questions of his own, getting to know the group. Eventually, he bid them farewell as he always volunteered for a watch on the first night of a journey. He liked to watch the sun come up over his ship before he retired on the first full day at sea.

Once downstairs, they turned on the electric lights and passed around an assortment of books that Bella had the foresight to bring.

If there was one thing a vampire knew how to do, it was pass the time.

**

* * *

**

**Notes:**

**Jennifer and I interviewed one another for the Peas and Carrots blog this week and we had a lot of fun doing it. I have included the link on my author's page. **

**Thanks to TwittahMon for setting the whole thing up. We have already agreed to a Part 2 interview sometime in November when I will be deep into the development of the sister book to our little Bella Voce. **

**Thank you all very much for reading. I'm excited to finish my first novel next week.**

**See you then,**

**MOG**


	30. Chapter 30: Bon Voyage

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear just bought himself three months to write more disclaimers.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Thirty:**

**Bon Voyage**

Air over the ocean tasted different, salty but crisper, like it was somehow created right over the water and then washed ashore with the newborn waves. Air over the ocean was also colder. It was easier for the sun to heat the land and dawn's embrace came with a vicious bite as Jacob stood on the deck of the westbound _La Touraine_, alone.

He knew that he would be spending all his mornings isolated. His isolation would last all day as well but he was confident that he could find gainful conversation with someone, perhaps even a New Yorker returning home from a European holiday. Jacob was a talker, loved to converse, and his endless wealth of fantastical trivia never failed to enlighten. He would most likely brighten someone else's day.

He admired the way in which the lazy ocean waves looked like an icy countryside at times and then like a jabbing arctic mountain range at others. The ship was traveling fast enough to provide a constant breeze from the bow and Jacob set his back against it. He gazed east as he stood next to the stern sail mast, the radio cable running up its orange wooden trunk.

He had been offered _The Magic Skin_ by Balzac when Bella tipped a small bag of books onto the table in their compartment the night before but had instead chosen to read a John Stuart Mill book called, _On Liberty_. He had it in the pocket of his jacket but dared not bring it out for fear that it would flutter away in the wind and sop up its share of the ocean.

When Jacob was bored he ate. He ate well on the voyage to America.

Very well.

And often.

Very often.

The dining room was always open and boasted a made-to-order kitchen. Jacob was definitely made to order. He sampled a lot of duck and turkey but also allowed the chefs to surprise him with dishes that would help them clean up the scraps from the night before.

But that was Jacob. He was a giver.

He befriended nearly every crewman on the ship and, if someone asked about the rest of his party, he just reminded them that the quintet of night owls were the last ones to leave the salon after even the late diners had retired.

It also served their purpose that on their first afternoon at sea Edward began playing the piano in one of the lower common rooms. He and Bella would become a staple for the three o'clock cocktail drinkers to admire. They got lost in each other's voices and faces as they sang to each other, all the while attempting not to let the building tension of their unknown journey infest their hearts.

They sang to distract each other, they sang to comfort each other, and they sang to communicate to each other. Edward told her he loved her a thousand times in a single song and she heard every declaration. She whispered his name with every breath and it never failed to give him delicious goose bumps.

Edward had not discovered any potential victims the first night so the vampires drank half rations of blood from the animal hide skins Jasper brought and passed around a bottle so dusty that is was actually caked with grime. Jasper told them that the vampire who had donated the blood inside was from Russia and that he was particularly rude to Jasper the night they met. He was an ancient vampire, at least 600 years old by the time he came to America. But he had picked a fight with a mop headed lad who had a chip on his shoulder as big as the southern state he stood in.

The Russian's superior strength could not atone for old fighting techniques and Jasper took him in one stride and two swings. He collected only one bottle of blood from the man and Jasper told his friends that he remembered thinking he was wasting the white wine he poured out. Jasper did it on a whim, his first collection. He saved the bottle for nearly a century and he was relieved that he was not opening it alone. He almost had back in the 1840's. It was a rough time for Jasper in Paris but he made a quick decision to save it for his trip back home, one day. If that ever happened.

The blood tasted sweet, very different from other vampires. It also gave them so much energy that Bella took everyone for a joyride above the clouds one by one.

Even while Jacob stood on deck in the morning spray, they were still awake, lying on their beds and chattering like a bunch of monkeys. Only Edward had flown before and the experience was profound for the group. Even Jacob went and smiled.

Hugo rapped on the door of their compartment mid-day and it was answered by Emmett.

"Hi there."

"Hello," Hugo said. "I was looking for Jacob."

"He's not here," Emmett answered. "I think he's up on deck."

"Ah, well I'm on my way down," Hugo said moving away. "I'll stop by later."

"Wait a minute," Emmett stopped the human. "Are you going to the engine room?"

Hugo paused. "Yes, that's why I came to get Jacob. He wanted to shovel some coal, of all things, but I didn't see the harm…."

Four faces appeared above Emmett's broad shoulders as all the others in the compartment rushed over to be invited to the engine room.

"You ALL want to go?" Hugo was now convinced that it was all a joke. "The women too?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alice said stepping forward.

"Nothing." Hugo was flustered. "Of course you are all welcome to come. Jacob has seen it after all. Come with me."

"Wait," Alice exclaimed. "We can't go like this!" She shooed the men from the room and slammed the door. The men stood in the corridor for ten minutes while she and Bella changed into outfits she did not mind getting soot on.

* * *

At dinner that night, the Captain informed them that he had been successful in relaying a message all the way to New York. The message was short:

**NY Port Authority**

**Search Priority LT Caussin.**

**Carlisle Cullen MD.**

**Family is on La Touraine. **

**Arr. Sun. Dock E. 19.**

Captain Caussin had to work persistently to get the communication all the way to America and he told them the details of how he accomplished the feat, ship to ship to ship. "We are going to pass the eastbound _City of New York _in a few hours," he told them. "I sent the message to them with instructions to forward it to the _Oregon_, a real workhorse in the Dominion line, and about 300 miles in front of us headed to Scotland." He was smiling, clearly pleased with himself. "They were instructed to get word to the _British Prince_ as soon as they could because she was still close enough to the _Majestic_ to have them relay the message all the way to Newfoundland."

Edward was impressed. Jacob was practically in love. "That is amazing!" he responded. "How will you know if it works?"

"We already do." The captain beamed. "There was a very small window so I had each ship send confirmation to the previous as to the success of their part in the relay. The _Oregon_ confirmed all three links before losing contact with the _City of New York_, and we've been talking to her all evening." He looked around at them. "I'm sure it won't take long to transmit the message over land and down to New York. They'll know you're coming by tomorrow night. They will no doubt be in contact with our representative there to inquire about their luggage."

_If they're still there, _Edward thought, glad that no one could hear his doubt. On the outside he was as bouncy as a Junebug from the effects of the blood. He had been seeing colors emerge with words all day and his enhanced ability showed no sign of wearing off.

Emmett was invited to sit next to the captain that night because he was told of the man's aptitude for shoveling coal. Jacob was jealous that he missed the trip back down to the bowels of the ship and asked Hugo to consider arranging a race between the two men. Hugo told him that as long as he could let the crew place wagers it was a deal.

This news about the Morse code transmissions was unexpected and made the already lively bunch positively hum all night while the captain accepted adoration from the ladies and chucks on the shoulder from the men.

Jacob even produced cigars and they all stepped outside on the deck. The pressing slap of cold ocean breath immediately sprang water from their eyes. Jasper watched little clouds of steam appear at the lips of the warm blooded people and quickly lit his cigar. He then handed some to Bella and Alice.

"You know we don't want those," Alice spoke sternly.

Edward walked up quickly, he had heard Jasper's thoughts. "It's freezing out here," he said quietly, "but we don't have steam coming from our mouths. If we want to be outside right now, we have to smoke."

Both ladies turned and walked back inside. It was too cold anyway.

The men did not remain outside for long. The captain was called to the bridge and asked Edward to convey his gratitude for the women's company as he shook hands all around.

The captain walked away and Jasper appeared next to Edward. "You should follow him."

Edward's mouth fell open like a salamander. "Why do you think so?"

"He's deeply concerned about something," Jasper explained. "Just get close and listen in. I don't want any surprises on this trip."

"I haven't heard anything," Edward commented.

"You don't have to hear his thoughts," Jasper said. "Just look at his face, something's got him riled."

Edward came back to him five minutes later with grim news. "The _City of New York_ is coming out of some rough weather and they reported seeing a very suspicious ship."

"Pirates?" Jasper asked.

"They think so," Edward answered, "but, after talking to the other ship, they are positive that they can outrun it. The captain is relaxed again but I think they don't want passengers to catch wind of it."

"Well, it's a good thing for them that we did." Jasper's smile was enormous. "Let's get everyone together. We need to talk."

Hardly anyone liked Jasper's plan because it involved only half the group but, since no one else had such a simple solution to all their problems, no one objected.

When they passed the other large liner, there were waves and whistles but the storm was chasing it down and would soon greet them with a wall of freezing wind and stinging salt.

When Bella spotted the yellow light on the horizon thirty minutes later, she flew Edward low over the water where they disappeared against the tar surface of the waves. The storm arrived first with the ocean swells and the _La Touraine_ looked like a balloon on a string being tugged mercilessly.

Edward could actually hear the ship slap the water as they sped away and left the murmurs on their ship behind. He enjoyed a few minutes of blissful silence before he began hearing the people on the unknown vessel. As soon as Edward started picking up their thoughts he knew something was wrong.

"I don't hear pirates, Bella," he said, shouting over the gale. "I hear women and children….they're frightened….They're….prisoners!" He was shocked. "It's a slave ship!"

Bella was disgusted into silence. Slavery was outlawed in Europe and America but there was still a healthy trade if one was willing to sail the Barbary Coast. "We have to get Jasper." Bella pulled up and turned back to their ship.

"No!" Edward yelled. "Let me do it. A slave ship should be easy. They're not looking for trouble."

Bella almost turned back around but changed her mind. "We weren't expected to engage them Edward and I am going to stick to the plan. I'm sorry my love."

"Alright," Edward was deflated. "Will you make it up to me later?" he asked hopefully.

"With pleasure," she purred and squeezed him until she deposited him on the stern of the _La Touraine_. It was not fashionable for ship guests to "mingle under the smoke" so they usually had the rear deck to themselves. They kept to that area when flying.

Edward and Bella went downstairs where Jasper, Emmett and Alice were drinking their fill of blood. It gave Jasper more containers to fill and despite the still present electricity of the blood they sampled the previous evening, they were all quite thirsty.

Jasper tied three empty skins together after Bella drained one all by herself and Edward sipped modestly from one that Emmett passed over to him. Jasper took his coat off and placed both sickles on his bed.

"Aren't you going to need those?" Jacob asked, still wishing he could participate.

"Heavens no!" Jasper responded, clutching his hands together like a prim mademoiselle. He then released a savage grin. "I don't want to spill my prize."

"Aren't you going to arm yourself at all?" Emmett asked.

Jasper shrugged his shoulders. "I'll just break a chair and bonk them on the heads like groundhogs. They're humans. They'll go down with a good poke to the temple." Jasper unfolded a gleaming strait razor. "I'll collect my spoils with this."

"Good plan," Edward remarked from his own bed nearby. He was strangely numb even to the outrage of the slave traders despite his desire to be the one to slay them. He must have missed a mental chicken or two, some emotions bled through and he did not like the combination. He strongly considered allowing his emotions to influence him but did not want to be too worried for Bella while she flew with Jasper. Instead he focused on assisting with a profitable and righteous scheme. "Why don't you use a few ale barrels to collect blood," he suggested. "I saw a net mounted between the bridge's portholes. You can use it to carry them back."

Jacob and Emmett nodded enthusiastically, Alice smiled hungrily and Bella clapped her hands a few times. "Edward," she said, "that idea could give us dozens of liters. Enough for the rest of the trip."

"I hope it does," Edward responded. "I honestly don't know if I would have been able to target someone just because they are immoral and had the misfortune of being on a ship with me."

_We know Edward, _Jacob's thought was accompanied with an apologetic look. _I was prepared to take over if necessary. Plan B._

Edward shrugged, he admired the backup. He thought of his mental barnyard again. He had not even bothered to check on his worry chickens. He wondered if they ate. Was he starving them by locking them in the barn. Was he killing them?

He was still deeply concerned and frightfully desperate to find out what happened to his family. He saw the crippling bouts of shaking and sobbing that had forced Jacob from the compartment once already. He was only in love with one of them. Edward would have shattered at the thought of being that distraught if he could have. He decided to wait.

Bella pursued Jacob when he left the cabin but it had happened earlier in the day and he escaped her love by scampering to the upper decks. In the bright afternoon sun of their first day at sea, he chose to suffer alone.

As he walked with the rest of them to the stern of the ship to see Bella and Jasper take off on their rescue mission, Jacob braced for the wind and rain on the exposed decks. Bella grabbed Jasper by the pants and they all heard him yelp as they disappeared into the gale.

* * *

The wind had increased considerably since her previous flight with Edward but Jasper was pleased with the camouflage. The rain felt like nettles against his skin as they sped towards what Bella calculated would be the direction of the slave ship. When she finally saw the lights, she was only a few degrees off. She altered her course and shouted something to Jasper about how his plans would have to be changed.

Jasper had intended on having Bella drop him on the top deck of the other ship and stay airborne for flanking and spotting purposes but, as they approached the starboard side of the lumbering vessel, she informed him that she was going to be at his side every step of the way. And that if he did not agree to it right then and there, he would have to start swimming.

He agreed easily enough. Bella was their best fighter after all. Why not go into an already lopsided battle with an extra dose of 'watch out'? He nodded his head, an easy victory for Bella who knew Jasper did not really like the water.

"Just don't cut them," he said in her ear as they landed. "Just break their necks or something and don't release the slaves until we're ready to leave for good."

Bella nodded, she had already spotted a moving shadow on the rigging ropes behind Jasper and balled her fist into a cannonball. She stepped around him and drove it into the forehead of a shaggy slave trader with a whip still in his hand. There was a delicate crunch as he fell to the rain soaked deck with a dent in his skull.

Jasper quickly stepped over him and jogged around the main deck, striking blows to the temples of two crewmen fore and aft of their starting position.

"That's three," Jasper tallied as he rejoined Bella. She was standing at the rusty metal door leading to the bridge. The net was right next to her. "We'll find four more in there."

Bella threw open the door and let in the storm.

When the two vampires went below the decks of the slave ship, they found six additional crewmen and the ale barrels they knew would be onboard. They filled the skins in the bridge and the barrels down in the dingy corridors deep within the ship.

The considerable wealth on the vessel was left to the slaves released by almost silent hands that squeezed their salty locks to dust.

When Bella and Jasper returned to the _La Touraine,_ the deck was empty. No big surprise, their companions were gathered in their nice dry compartment.

"Over eighty liters!" Jasper recalled as soon as the door closed behind him. "And at least 400 slaves freed."

"What's going to happen to them?" Alice asked.

"They have more than enough food," Bella told her. "And Edward said that several among them had been slaves on ships and knew how to sail."

"That's true," Edward confirmed. "It was a lot more than several and they will easily know what to do." Edward quickly looked at Bella. "Did you…?"

"She did it," Jasper answered.

_I saw her._

"I marked our position in the log with the correct time and date," Bella elaborated, "and finished with a good luck wish for them all."

Jacob looked at the two barrels still guarded by the net and sighed. It sounded like half of the world just fell from his shoulders. "That's more than enough blood, isn't it?"

Jasper smiled triumphantly. "If we all drink our usual amount, we will still have a full barrel when we arrive in America."

The group settled in for their second night. Alice was deep into a translation of a Japanese book of short supernatural stories entitled _Tales of Moonlight and Rain_. Her French copy, _Contes de pluie et de lune__, _was a new generation's discovery of a people's most compelling literature.

Jasper was reading the only novel published by Oscar Wilde. It had been released slowly two years before in the Philadelphia based periodical, _Lippincott's Monthly Magazine_, but was revised by Wilde and released as a book, _The Portrait of Dorian Gray_. It made Jasper desire to re-read _Romeo and Juliet_ and, so far, Jasper did not feel the slightest bit sorry for Mr. Gray.

Bella was reading _Life Is a Dream_, a Spanish book her maker had given her by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Edward listened as her voice hummed the verse in his head:

…_The direst fate, we know for fact,  
Much like the rashest temperament  
Or strongest planetary pull,  
May boast some influence on free will  
But cannot make man bad or good…_

He instinctively focused on her, but would often hear one of the others reading to themselves. Alice's soft breathy voice, Jasper's clipped pace or Emmett and his 'God' voice cutting in with snippets of Mark Twain's _Tom Sawyer_.

It was Emmett's own book and had been a favorite since childhood when he received a first edition copy. It was also Emmett's voices chorusing together that swept Bella's dream from his mind.

…_**We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't ever feel like talking loud, and it warn't often that we laughed—only a little kind of a low chuckle. We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all—that night, nor the next, nor the next…**_

Bella Again…

…_Still, who could stoop to blame  
A human being who's just a man in name,  
Cruel, reckless, inhumane,  
A barbarous tyrant no one can restrain,  
Reared like some savage beast? _

Alice now…

…_'Oh, patron of Buddha,' said Kaian, greeting the master  
with his Zen rod, 'why have you armed yourself thus? I am a  
wandering priest, and I was expecting someone to appear so  
that I might beg for a night's lodging, but it's quite a surprise for  
me to find myself such an object of suspicion. A skinny teacher  
of the law is hardly apt to turn to banditry. You have no need  
to fear.'_

Jasper's voice now added to the orchestra of words swirling in Edward's head as he picked up on Chapter Two of his Oscar Wilde narration.

…_The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful…_

Bella again…

_What's life? A frenzied, blurry haze.  
What's life? Not anything it seems.  
A shadow. Fiction filling reams.  
All we possess on earth means nil,  
For life's a dream, think what you will,  
And even all our dreams are dreams._

* * *

Edward spent the next five nights listening to his friends reading novels. Jacob wandered the ship by day, visiting his horses often and sitting in the carriage at night. He had a bed but did not like to watch people sleep. Edward went on long pre-dawn walks with him and the two men grew even closer as they now shared the same loss. Edward had been listening to Jacob's prayers to anyone he could think of just for the chance that Rosalie would be waiting at the dock when they reached New York.

Bella was unconcerned by the possibility of postponing her wedding. The safety of Edward's family was paramount and, in terms of their life spans, she understood that they would always have to come first while they were alive. She only wished she had another single moment with her own family before the plague swept through Elsebridge.

She and Alice spent a lot of their time considering moving the whole affair over to New York. They had little information and poured over a map that showed the southern tip of Manhattan Island. They could see several churches near the theatre and decided to visit them, but only with Esme and Rosalie.

Every evening, Charlie began their dinners with the report that the Cullens were not on any passing liners. He also seemed to remember at least one thing about Bella's theatre that he had neglected to mention to the group the night before.

"It looks like a tiny castle," he told them mid-voyage, over wine simmered and peppered beef strips. "The only thing it's missing is a little flag at the top of the tower."

Bella was a little surprised that more people had become suspicious of their odd hours but, then again, she was spoiled by the ease at which the Cullen family accepted their son and his fiancé as vampires. After believing Edward to be dead for several days, they were already accepting the impossible just by seeing him again. Anything they were told after that was met with little scrutiny.

Sailors were creatures of habit and the anomaly was noted. Edward heard the thoughts before they became rumors and set Bella upon the wide eyed crewmen. She made subtle suggestions that they really were not all that peculiar and extended invitations to listen to them play every afternoon on a bolted down upright piano in the low clinging salon on Deck C. The matter was always dropped.

Alice danced with the captain on their last night as a string quartet began playing Mendelssohn's _Op 81_. The first piece, _Andante in E major_, had her standing on his large feet as he wheeled her around like she was a little girl. It was a complicated arrangement and played extremely well. Bella cheered rather loudly when they paused briefly before moving into the second movement, _Scherzo in A minor_. It was a haunting selection, not at all connected with the first, yet somehow it complimented the emotion left drifting in the air.

When the third movements of the opus began, Edward took Bella by the hand and led her to modest dance floor while Charlie and Alice sat down. _Capriccio in E Minor_ brightly filled the grand room and Edward swept Bella through the salon like they were flying. He stepped over thin sound waves as they approached his feet, a game he swiftly lost as the tempo was brisk and his focus divided. Bella's honey colored eyes filled his world. Her smile was his gateway and her hair was his guide. Their fingers were laced together and their cheeks were close enough to let the fuzz on their skin touch.

They were fluid together and, like splashing wine, they trimmed the room in their escapades and earned applause from the diners. As the fourth and last movement began softly, subtly, like smoke in a dark room, Edward pulled Bella close and she lifted a leg to drape over his calf.

_Fugue in E flat minor_ was a tender piece that could wring emotion from a turnip. Jacob longed to dance with his own love and very quietly excused himself to the privacy of the calm air over the decks.

The sweet strings teased him from the corridor as he told himself that he had only one day to go.

Bella and Edward stole the breath from the room as they danced. They redefined what it was to dance with another person with their tender skill and their sole focus on the partner in front of them. It was a treat that inspired one artist that night to paint a fragile watercolor showing the entwined couple in love.

The night carried Jacob to the bow of the boat. The captain had informed them that they would see and sail along the southern coast of Newfoundland by morning and that by noon they should see the Gulf of St. Lawrence along the starboard side of the ship. He stared west and willed land to appear. He was prepared to stay there until the reality of green shorelines settled his stomping heart.

_Please just let her be there,_ Jacob thought as he took a shuddering breath and blinked rapidly. He could hear Emmett and Hugo approaching with what sounded like a tribe of billy goats behind them. He did not know what they wanted and he did not want to be seen blubbering out in the open. He turned into the wind to disguise his reddened face and squinting eyes.

"We FINALLY get to race!" Emmett cheered, clapping Jacob on the back. "Hugo here says the captain wants to push hard at sunup and that means hotter fires!"

Jacob regarded the announcement with a delighted smile. "You don't say." He was actually quite happy to have a distraction from the day's long skirt down the Nova Scotia coastline. "What are the terms?"

Hugo stepped forward clearing his throat. "You will each be given five tons of coal and at 0:600..." he checked his pocket watch along with about half of the men in earshot, Captain Caussin among them. "You will begin shoveling it into a single furnace. The first one who gets through their five tons is the winner."

"Anything else?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Hugo said. "Each man will be given one stoker. Jacob, you will work under smokestack A and Emmett, you will work under smokestack B. You will not see nor be near each other so I will also provide each room with a timekeeper." He then looked at the captain, who gave him a simple nod before stepping forward.

"Hugo has asked me to blow the ship's whistle when you are both in place to insure an equal start," he stated.

"Thank you." Both Emmett and Jacob said the words together.

"What's the bet?" The captain asked eagerly.

Emmett and Jacob looked at each other. They had not discussed a wager, just a race. "We don't have a bet, Captain," Jacob shrugged. "Just a friendly competition."

The captain looked mildly disappointed and irritated, as did those watching the exchange. "There has to be a bet." There was a murmur of agreement, including Jasper and Edward, who had been hovering behind the pack.

"How about this…" the captain offered. "I'll let the winner take us into New York Harbor."

Emmett agreed at once for he longed to turn the wheel and shout out a few orders and, since the sun would be down by the time they were that far south, he would be fully able to enjoy the prize if he won. He stuck out his hand to the captain first and then to Jacob.

Jacob accepted the shake with a smile. At first, he was concerned that his victory would prevent him from properly scanning the docks for Rosalie but then he remembered that they all had to stop at Ellis Island and transfer into a ferry over to Manhattan.

"Get a good night's sleep, Gentlemen," the captain smirked. "You both have a very big day ahead."

* * *

_This is it, _Jacob thought to himself, _Sunday, June 19__th__. I will see Rosalie in New York today. _

He was in the boiler room closest to the bridge and looking at the mountain of coal next to the hungry furnace, already lit orange with desire and pushing heat at him with an unforgiving breath. _Emmett is lucky he's a vampire,_ he thought. _I'll bet he won't even sweat. Can he sweat? I wonder if vampires sweat? I haven't seen Bella sweat now that I think of it…_

Edward and Bella walked in and wished him luck. Due to the presence of a stoker and a timekeeper, they did not remind him of Jasper's rule. However, his slow nod to them in between hugs told them that he was not going to jeopardize their safety for a silly race.

"I was sweating the other day in the boiler room," Edward said to him while they waited for something to happen. "He won't have an easy time of it."

"Thanks," Jacob replied, his question now answered.

Bella looked more than confused as to why that should have been such an important thing to share.

Jasper was with Emmett. They had just entered his assigned boiler room. When they noticed that the stoker had not yet arrived Alice began talking with the timekeeper, a fair headed man nicknamed Oslo, while the two vampires had one last word in private.

"Remember," Jasper whispered. "Stamina isn't as suspicious as speed, just find a fast but believable pace and stick with it."

"I will," Emmett promised. "I think it's a good strategy for winning as well."

No one was around to hear what Emmett's 'God' voice was telling him.

Except Emmett.

Hugo appeared a moment later with Emmett's stoker and asked if all three parties were ready. Oslo politely excused himself from Alice's company and held out his pocket watch while the stocker walked over to the flame riddled furnace and opened his tiny side door with a gloved hand. Emmett picked up his shovel and stuck it into the dome of black rocks taking up half the room. "I'll be listening for the whistle," he said.

"Good. I'll just make sure the other party is ready and then proceed to the bridge. Good luck! I'll be back to see that your coal is replenished."

"What?" Emmett and Alice asked in unison. Jasper smirked, he suspected as much.

"This pile is only one ton," Hugo explained. "But don't worry, we won't let you run out."

Hugo looked in on Jacob, who had already reasoned out that he was looking at roughly a quarter of his total charge. His timekeeper and stoker were both in position. Jacob himself was holding the shovel with the wide flat edge between his feet and leaning on the handle with his elbows out.

Hugo informed him that he would be back to see to the replenishment of the coal and left at a skip. No one knew if people were betting on the outcome but there were plenty of extra crewmen around, leaning against brand new but already grimy mine carts and talking in Portuguese in the corridor.

When the whistle blew, Jacob pushed his shovel into the coal like it was smoke and pulled out a heaping mound. He had it over to the furnace in a fluid movement quickly and settled into a gait that may not have been extraordinarily fast, even for human standards, but was an efficient and almost beautiful movement that was repeated with faithful diligence for a half hour before Alice popped her head around the corner.

She took one look at Jacob's pile and her eyes became portholes of surprise. Jacob saw this as he swiveled to capture more black fuel. "Am I that far ahead?" he asked with a smirk.

"Emmett's already on his second load," Alice said plainly. "You better pick up the pace, Jacob."

Jacob stopped. He nodded his head in appreciation of Emmett's accomplishment and calmly walked over to a second shovel leaning against the wall. "Get the next load rolling," he called to the crewmen nearby and plunged both shovels into the shrinking pile. "You two should go cheer on Emmett while I catch up," he suggested.

Edward and Bella laughed and did just that. They followed Alice along the slim hallway, made even slimmer by the hand rails running along each side. When they entered boiler room B, they were bombarded with Emmett's 'God' voice.

_**You cannot fail! You cannot fail! Do you hear me! Don't you fail me!**_

Emmett was indeed moving much faster than Jacob, but not so fast that one wouldn't believe it impossible from any strong and determined young man.

But he looked sick. He looked wounded and frightened. Bella stepped right up to him. "You are way ahead of him, Emmett. Please slow down, you look ill."

"I am?" _**He is?**_

"Yes," Bella reassured. "You are at least a half ton ahead. Please don't… strain yourself."

She stepped away, hoping that she used the right words to convince him to lighten up without giving away what she heard. It was definitely an improvement because Emmett began receiving accolades and encouragement instead of barking commands.

_**You have done well. Do not stop. You will be victorious.**_

Edward took her by the hand and kissed it. He was proud of her and told her with jungle green eyes that he loved her.

Jasper walked up to them both. "Why did you slow him down?"

"Come with us," Edward instructed and left the room. Jasper and Alice fell in behind him. When they reached the engine room, Edward led them inside. The long riveted pipes that held the spinning propeller shafts were humming loudly as he spoke.

"Emmett's talking to himself again. His 'God' voice was yelling at him when we came in."

"And couldn't you see that look on his face?" Bella accused. "Like he was being beaten right in front of you."

"We didn't know," Alice whispered, shocked.

"He just looked determined," Jasper said.

"I'm sorry." Bella apologized, "I'm sure anyone shoveling coal isn't going to look happy."

"Jacob did," Alice observed. "He looked like he was having a ball. I bet he wasn't even trying."

Edward looked at the door suddenly. "Oh no!" he said and ran out into the corridor, but it was too late. The crewman who ran by thinking of Jacob was already in boiler room B and informing Emmett and the others that Jacob had picked up two shovels and was now in the middle of his third ton.

_**YOU FOOL! **_Emmett's God voice thundered. _**IF YOU FAIL ME, I WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE IN THIS CORPSE! **_

Emmett's own voice was meek and pleading.

_Please, no._

Meek inner voice or not, Emmett began shoveling coal so fast that his movements seemed to blur. Jasper ran to him. "You have to slow down, Emmett." He spoke quickly but sternly. Emmett merely laughed. He was pushing the shovel into the pile of coal with such force that it was splitting coal rocks in half, creating small black clouds of smoke.

It was also generating too much friction between the shovel blade and the combustible fuel.

Edward and Bella rushed over to Emmett, attempting to slow him or at least block the view of those who might see his frighteningly fast movements.

Alice ran out of the room.

"Emmett, I'm going to give you an order that you must obey." Bella commanded. "I want you to stop shoveling for a moment and talk to me."

Emmett almost snapped to attention. All his movements ceased briefly but then an exquisitely loud wail split the heads of the three in the room who could hear it.

_**Obey ME or burn in hell!**_

"I'm sorry," Emmett said as he began shoveling again. He slowed down to a more believable gait but the voice kept booming.

_**Do you want to be a failure? You must listen only to me to remain on the path! Just be glad that you are not Job. I could test you by striking down everyone you know with disease but all I ask is that you DO NOT FAIL!**_

Bella felt like crying. She did not know what to do. Edward told Jasper with a glance that things had just gotten much worse and then Alice came in. "Jacob quit the race!"

Everyone stopped. Except Emmett, both his arms and mind were working strenuously. "Jacob quit the race!" Alice said again. "It's over!"

Emmett paused, but only for a moment. "It that true?" With those three words Emmett sounded hopeful but suspicious, like a child who had just been promised something so impossibly good that it could only be a joke.

"It's true," Jacob declared as he ducked his way under the short door jam.

"You win, Emmett."

* * *

While Emmett was up in the wheelhouse grinning like a gingerbread man, Jacob took the opportunity to tell Jasper, Edward and Bella how Alice had run to him during the competition and explained what was happening with their youngest group member.

"I was just having fun anyway," Jacob said. "If Emmett was torturing himself over it, I wasn't going to prolong that."

"I am really worried about him," Jasper revealed. "He nearly exposed us all and he was not going to be easy to stop."

"You did the right thing, Alice," Edward told her. "You too, Jacob. We don't need Emmett unstable right now and we should try to learn his triggers."

They all waved to him on the bridge as he looked over their heads at Long Island. The houses and buildings resembled the ones back in France. So did the trees. Even the birds debating in their branches at that late hour sounded like the ones in Paris. It was a sobering experience for Bella. The New World looked similar to the Old World.

Emmett was released from his duty and bounded over to his friends while the ship passed between Brooklyn and Staten Island. It shared the waterway with dozens, if not hundreds, of other ships that lit the rippling water with their lights. The _La Touraine_ was a celebrity amongst passenger ships and attracted a lot of attention as soon as it neared Ellis Island.

Edward was getting a headache. The nine hundred people he listened to on the ship now expanded into nine thousand. There were five other ships docked nearby, along with countless ferries and private vessels. He could hear a buzz coming from the main island and did not think he could take any more voices.

It was a mercifully fast procedure. The authorities really knew how to shuffle people around at the six month old facility.

_They stood in this room, _Jacob thought as he looked around the arched and marbled hall. _She could have been standing right here. _

Jacob resisted the overwhelming urge to swim to Manhattan, sparkling at them from across the water.

They were ferried over with all their belongings, including Jacob's carriage and horses. They did not like the water and complained loudly.

He expected to see one mirage after another as he looked for Rosalie so when he first spotted her fair spills of hair, now longer than in his memory, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was only going to allow himself that one false sighting.

He opened his eyes again and they met hers.

Rosalie was there, unmistakable and watching him from across the ever rippling barrier between them. She looked relieved and he was certain in that moment that he shared her expression.

She also looked angry. His heart filled with happiness.

Edward was suffering, the waves of noise coming from the city made him feel seasick. He was no stranger to the bombardment of a city's worth of thoughts but thoughts in New York were occurring so much faster and in so many languages that he was devastated with incoherency. As the ferry drifted up the east side to dock, nineteen thousand voices suddenly turned into ninety thousand. Edward whimpered in pain even as he saw his sister amongst the impeccably dressed men and women on the docks. He was nearly certain he also spotted his parents a bit further down the dock before he clapped his hands to his ears and sat down with Bella at his arm.

He went into his mental barnyard and strolled around the nearly deserted chicken yard. He knew that letting them out would wash him with anxiety but he reasoned that the relief that filled his heart upon seeing his sister would settle any squalls.

He threw the doors open and was so filled with the love and warmth he had been denying himself that he did not have room left over to feel anxious. He was deliriously happy but still in pain. The roar was not just loud, but piercing, like everyone in the city was also shouting.

He wandered amongst the liberated chickens until he remembered that turning off his ability to hear thoughts took a different visualization. He opened his eyes and closed them again. This time, he was in some kind of factory. It was dusty and looked like it had not been painted in decades. There was a wall he was looking for with a few dials, some buttons and one big metal switch on it. Edward found the section and approached the switch. He grabbed the cool metal handle and felt cobwebs crumble under his hand. He wondered briefly why he did not keep better imaginary constructs and then threw the switch down.

The silence was elegant. He could now hear the water again. "Wow," he said to Bella. "The city is even louder than the ocean."

Nearby, Alice was jealous of Rosalie's fur coat. It was gorgeous and Rosalie looked amazing.

Everyone on the dock looked stunning in fact. Almost every man wore a vest, jacket and gloves. Many carried canes but none with the golden dragon head that sat atop Edward's. She also spotted Carlisle and Esme working their way through the crowd to join Rosalie but lost track of them in a sea of top hats.

Jacob was dizzy. He did not know what he would have done if she hadn't been there, but he was overjoyed at the knowledge that he would never find out. She began to keep pace with the ship as it coasted into position and she was joined by nearly everyone else in the waving crowd who spotted someone they knew on that particular ferry.

When it was finally tied off and the gate was opened, Jacob asked Emmett to lead the horses off the barge while he ran ahead. Emmett readily agreed. He was nervous to tell Rosalie about what had happened to him and almost felt like he needed a little more time to come to terms with it himself. It had been a difficult voyage for him and he was questioning things again.

It was Bella who was the first to be let off the ferry with Edward right behind her. She glided towards Rosalie who had stopped in a small clearing in the crowd, a good spot for a reunion.

Overjoyed for Jacob and Edward, Bella closed the distance between them. She heard Jacob already calling Rosalie's name from somewhere behind her, when an exquisitely dressed man in a top hat stepped in her path, halting her progress.

Puzzled, her smile disappeared immediately.

Two more gentlemen now appeared at Rosalie's side, gently taking an arm each. Rosalie was staring intently at her brother, trying to understand why he had not abided her mental warnings.

To the left and right two dozen men now stood up from the benches they were sitting on and approached as Jacob, Jasper and Alice caught up to Bella and Edward.

The five astute friends now realized they were cut off from Rosalie. They were also surrounded and outnumbered.

"Good evening, Miss Swan," the man standing before Bella greeted her, bowing deeply. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Riley Briers."

Riley straightened up to his full height, his expression was curious but cold.

"We've been expecting you."

She was bewildered but, out of sheer habit, Bella curtsied, her eyes narrowing on the young and attractive gentleman.

With the movement, her pendulum escaped from underneath her clothing.

It began spinning wildly.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Notes:**

**Yes, it's a cliffhanger but it was the logical place to divide the stories. And, after all, the cliffhangers have been an important and fun part of Bella Voce.**

**Besides, if we can all wait a whole year for Breaking Dawn to be released (and that's only one half of Breaking Dawn at that) then three months for Brute Parole to post shouldn't be too big a deal.**

**Thank you so very much to everyone for reading my first novel! The experience of writing my story for this fandom has been ideal. In the beginning, I honestly hoped Jennifer would get a few of her twitter friends to read it and nothing more. I never expected such an overwhelming positive response. I can never say thank you enough for reading, reviewing and recommending Bella Voce.**

**On New Years Day 2011, I'll be posting an epilogue to Bella Voce along with the prologue and first chapter of Brute Parole.**

**If you put me on author alert, you won't miss anything either way.**

**Brute Parole will be posted on FF, Twilighted and TWCS.**

**I am also launching a website! The link is on my author's page. **

**You can go there for a whole new reading experience, complete with dozens of pictures, a story timeline, all the music, FAQ and others surprises. I still have more photos to add, but that will never end so you can go play anytime you want and you may see things change over time.**

**Brute Parole will also be posted there.**

**Please be on the lookout for an author on author interview I participated in with m81170 (author of An Introduction To Swirl and Daisy). It will be posted on the Southern Fan Fiction Review site sometime in early October. We had a great time with it!**

**The discussion forum on Twilighted is still a good place to discuss this and the upcoming book over the holidays. I extend an invitation to all you to join in.**

**If you have never reviewed before please consider one for this, the last chapter, just to let me know you were out there. **

**I wish to extend thanks to the following:**

**Squally: You opened a lot of doors for me and, as a pre-reader, you never let me get away with lazy storytelling. Thank you.**

**SydneyTwiMum: You found me early and were the first person to feature me and Bella Voce in a blog. You have also helped me share the music of this story and I am profoundly grateful. Thank you.**

**Raizie: You set up my forum, hosted a readalong and have become a treasured friend and advisor. Thank you.**

**aRedi: You were Captain of Team Bella Voce for the FGB fundraiser. Thank you so much for running this team, for picking me up at the airport, for a fun evening out with 100 Monkeys and for allowing my daughter to raid your kitchen one afternoon. Thank you for being a wonderful friend, both in the FF and RL worlds.**

**Clementine: You designed the Bella Voce merchandise that is still available on the mytspot website (link is on my author's page). You helped to make Big Spoon famous! Thank you.**

**ShabbyApple: You are my validation beta on Twilighted and have been superb from minute one. I was incredibly lucky to be assigned to you and I can't wait to share the Brute Parole experience together. Thank you.**

**AmyMorgan: You have helped me with so many things but, as any fan of this story knows, the details make it so special. Thank you.**

**RoseArcadia: Your Blinkies and Banner helped me reach an audience early and I am so proud to be associated with you. Thank you.**

**Rick Clingman: For helping me write and perform songs that actually helped these characters come alive, even if it was before I ever read Twilight. Thank You.**

**BettiGefecht: For helping me write and perform songs written during Bella Voce. You have also played and sung beautifully for a Brute Parole song between Jasper and Alice that I can't wait to share with the readers. Thank You.**

**EvieKinz: You gave me confidence and built me a website that you then taught me how to manage on my own. Thank you. (I reserve the right to send you panicked emails when I screw something up.)**

**Stephan: You taught me a lot of dirty words in French. Thank you.**

**Sebastien Robichaud: You most likely think it's ridiculous that I keep mentioning you, so I won't this time. Except to say that we are all with you this week my friend.**

**Jennifer: I love you. You made me look like a good writer. Thank you for your patience and thank you for your ideas but mostly thank you for your time. Lots and lots of time you spent on this story with me. It is yours now.**

**Morgan**


	31. Epilogue: Petit Orage

**Stephenie Meyer created Twilight.**

**Morgan Locklear created a New Year's drink.**

**4 parts Whiskey, 1 part glass.**

**It is called the "Jacob Blackout".**

**

* * *

**

**Epilogue:**

Bella felt the heavy silver locket drum on her narrow chest as she walked into the Elsebridge Abbey for the second time. Her eleventh birthday, weeks earlier, was still fresh in her heart. She had been relieved when told she could keep the hair ribbons she had received from her older sisters, Olivia and Simone, along with the thimble given to her by the trembling hands of her proud but nearly grieving mother.

Bella had difficult chores at home that would now have to be divided between her sisters and she felt guilty for their extra burden. She did not think she sang better than either of them yet there she was, being given the chance to live in grateful servitude to God Almighty. She would always have food and a place to sleep in exchange for her devotion.

She considered herself fortunate and was far too young to understand the pleasures of flesh that she had agreed to forsake.

She was a gifted singer but, more importantly, Bella had a reverent mind and was positively dripping with virtue. When she bid a brave goodbye to her quivering father, Bella was turned toward the building by a stern but sympathetic nun whose red hair was being slowly claimed by strands of white.

Bella thought it looked like blood and sand.

"My name is Maggie," she said as she gently took Bella's hand. "You may address me as Mother."

Bella nodded her head. "Yes, Mother."

"You will be called Sister."

Bella nodded her head again. "Yes, Mother." The two women walked briskly up to the simple but tall cathedral.

"All monks are called Brother. And all priests, Father."

The first tear now peaked from under Bella's eyelid and it reflected white sunlight just before they walked under the massive stone archway.

"Yes, Mother."

Bella looked back over her shoulder at her father. He had not moved and now stood like a tree. His hair could have been leaves jostled by the May breeze. He raised one branchlike arm in a wave while the other wiped at his nose.

"You will no doubt be lonely at first," Mother Maggie continued, "but I hope you know that I have taken a vow to love you and care for you while you are here and I never break my vows." As they entered the main hall, Maggie turned to Bella and lowered herself down on both knees. "When we first met at Christmas, I knew you were a compassionate and bright little girl." Bella immediately noticed that Maggie's eyes were as green as March moss. "And I promise that you will always have a friend here."

Charlie watched their silhouettes as Maggie addressed his youngest daughter at eye level. He could not hear what was said but Bella suddenly hugged the woman fiercely, nearly knocking them both over with her advance. His sudden burst of anguish became laughter and, as he raised his hand to cover his mouth, it became anguish once again.

When Bella turned one last time to look back down the hall before being led deeper into the building she saw that the tree was now facing the other way, both branches raised to his face.

Over the next several days, Bella charmed the priests and monks with her remarks as she brightly spoke whenever addressed. Charlie had taught all his girls the same thing concerning legacy, "Don't be forgotten." He encouraged all of the Swan women to speak up but Bella was the only one who ever did.

Bella was asked questions by the monks and, as keen as she was, there were some that she just could not answer. Whenever this was the case, she told them frankly that she did not know but would welcome the chance to find out. She then would wait patiently for the answer. They always obliged and Bella always repeated the information to herself before adding, "Ask me again tomorrow."

She was given several hymns to learn when presented to the choirmaster, who was quite a bit younger than Bella had expected. She also possessed a sweet disposition that had Bella unclenching her shoulders for the first time since arriving at the church. Despite the relief she felt when she had hugged Mother Maggie, Bella still felt a stranger in her new home.

Sister Sarah was her name and she was unsuccessful at keeping her bright blonde hair tucked up under the hood of her gray scapula. She told Bella that she could substitute music practice for vespers if she so desired. The thought of reading music in bed by candlelight instead of making the freezing walk to the sanctuary at midnight was enough to make her spring forward to hug her new choirmaster.

"She's a hugger," Maggie explained as Sarah wiggled in the girl's strong grip.

Sister Sarah asked Bella to sing a canticle and she nodded her head. "Yes, Sister."

Bella chose the praise appropriate to the day. On Sundays, it was the "Canticle of the Three Children" from the book of Daniel. On Mondays, the "Canticle of Isaias the Prophet," from the book of Isaiah. On this particular day, Tuesday, it was appropriate that she sang the "Canticle of Ezechias" also from Isaiah.

Her voice started strong and she sang the words clearly and sweetly.

Little did she know how they would come to haunt her during her first century as a vampire.

_**I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave:**_

_**I am deprived of the residue of my years.**_

_**I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: **_

_**I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.**_

_**Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: **_

_**I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: **_

_**from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.**_

There was a shuffling of feet as people began moving towards the pristine voice. Sister Sarah was already clutching her hands together at her chest and Mother Maggie was nodding her head slowly and nursing a wide smile.

_**I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: **_

_**from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.**_

_**Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: **_

_**mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.**_

_**What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it:**_

_**I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.**_

_**O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: **_

_**so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.**_

_**Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: **_

_**but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: **_

_**for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.**_

Bella never particularly enjoyed this Canticle, but they were all sung to the same melody and that she liked very much. She closed her eyes and concentrated on making the vowel sounds elegant.

_**For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: **_

_**they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.**_

_**The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: **_

_**the father to the children shall make known thy truth.**_

_**The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.**_

Bella was offered true praise from Sister Sarah and was then taken to a large but dark hall running along the east side of the Elsebridge Abbey. She was astounded to see dozens of books lined up on shelves. They reminded her of the boats on the shore of the swift moving river that ran along the town's northern boundary.

The priest who tended this library, and assisted the sheriffs and lords with all manner of written correspondence, was named Michael. He had been assigned to the large church and convent by the Chancellor and had only arrived a few weeks prior to the little girl. The Parish was growing and the church needed a man like Michael. He had a reputation as long as a king's cloak and happened to show interest in leaving his previous post at the opportune moment.

Michael needed a large and partly nomadic population to hide his indiscretions which now forced him to offer last rites to at least one person a night.

He served the church well, however, and it provided him with the resources necessary to pursue more private studies and habits. He was respected but well feared by the men. It could have been something in his voice which was always stretched thin, or it could have been the fact that he never appeared to blink.

Women seemed to like him. They felt comfortable around Michael and he was an attractive man in a rugged sort of way. Maggie subtly fluffed up her hair before she took Bella into what she proudly announced was the biggest non-Royal library in the country.

Sister Bella was introduced to Father Michael in the spring of 1533.

He had been impressed.

And she had been doomed.

She presented herself well but it was the unspoken questions that applied to her face like war paint that intrigued him. He began to consider the possibility of utilizing the quick minded nunling. He needed someone young enough to learn up to five languages in the first two years and, although she was perhaps a bit older than he would have preferred, he could tell that her intellect outstripped any other likely candidates he had been inclined to seek out. He was now not so inclined, he liked Bella.

She reminded him of a vampire.

Several days later, Michael heard Bella sing for the first time.

He was not a musician but he appreciated her talent for the wonder that it was, innocent, yet fearless singing. His one critique, however, was her Latin. It was clear to Michael that she did not understand the words she was singing. None of the women ever did. The reason was simple enough, they were not permitted to learn as much as the men; not even Mother Maggie.

Michael asked for and received a scribe in training, the young Sister Swan. He was told that her singing was to remain her focus and he had no objection to the condition. He was more concerned instead with being begged to take one of the young men training to be a monk. Fortunately, the Prior was a forward thinking man who especially liked Bella and particularly feared Michael.

Within the first year under his tutelage, Bella spoke Latin better than the Pope but was instructed to keep that fact strictly to herself.

As Michael predicted, Bella's understanding of the Latin hymns served to warm her vocal performances to the point of sheer miracles. The monks called her Bella Angel.

She went to London and performed for the King and Queen on a sweltering summer afternoon. Henry spent much of his time supposing war and discussing matters of state with some other well dressed men. When he did notice her, he was awed. He bowed deeply once as he passed but did not disrupt her song. Nor did he ask for an introduction. Sister Sarah was briefly addressed and congratulated with both hands before the King fell into a sitting slumber aided by drink and the sweet flavor of Bella's voice echoing in the vast court chamber.

Queen Anne was inquisitive and asked all the girls in the choir questions. They made Sister Sarah very proud and, as usual, Bella was as accommodating as she was talented. Her answers drew handsome laughs from the Queen and her ladies and earned her several follow-up questions.

Over time, Bella learned to divide her duties between music, prayers and writing lessons with the quiet priest. Before she knew it, more than a year passed by. She was loved, revered in fact, but seldom saw her family. They lived three days journey away and could not easily leave the quarter crops or the goats unattended. Her father had business in Elsebridge every few months and Bella always presented him with long letters for her mother and sisters.

Charlie was the only one who could read them but even he stumbled over her admirable vocabulary. The Christmas of 1535 carried a heartfelt message for her absent family.

_My Cherished Mother, Olivia and Simone._

_First, I must tell you that I miss the very breath of you._

_I will not say that this is a wretched place but your presence_

_in my life is sorely missed and I cling to even the smallest_

_memories of you all._

_Papa brings news of Olivia's approaching wedding and I do so_

_wish it could have taken place here in Elsebridge. Thankfully, I have_

_been given leave to attend with a monk as my chaperone. _

_I will serve and stay at the St. Mary Cathedral while I am _

_home and shall be pleased to see many of the friends_

_you will no doubt have invited._

_I will be arriving in six weeks time and count the minutes as_

_If they were so many stars in the night sky._

_With Love Always,_

_Bella_

She attended both her sisters' weddings during the next year. Olivia, a freckled but slender bride, was married on a chilly February morning in a yellow dress, the color of joy. In the four months that followed, Bella's other sister, Simone, was noticed and courted aggressively by an Earl who offered a dowry that made Charlie blush. She wore a blue dress, most associated with the Virgin Mary, and her long brown hair was a garden of flowers.

Bella turned fifteen in the short span of time between the weddings.

Queen Anne Boleyn had been arrested and executed for witchcraft, incest and adultery.

* * *

One morning, a tall teenage Bella sat in the library wishing that the room had windows, like the sanctuary, so she could enjoy the sunlight streaming through them.

Michael sent her on errands along the river when he knew the day would support a brisk walk but that day she hoped that she could stay indoors. She was feeling ill and did not want any more of the sun's company than could fit in the palm of her hand.

Michael seemed to always know what she was thinking.

"Good morning, Sister Swan," he said as he walked in behind her. "You look pale. Are you feeling well?"

"Hello, Father Michael," she answered, unaware that he had not yet seen her face. "I am feeling a bit queasy but I can manage anything you require of me."

"You are welcome to read at your pleasure today," he said with a gentle touch on her shoulder. "I will set you to no tasks."

"Thank you," Bella said with a small habitual bow that her stomach regretted instantly. She strolled slowly through the arched room looking at hand written volumes that lined the dust free shelves.

It was understood that she was now writing half of the Bishops in England but she maintained a modesty that assured the continuation of her privileges. Still, Bella was encouraged to tuck herself between shelves near the seldom traversed west end of the hall so as not to flaunt her literacy.

A few moments later, Michael walked over to her. "Êtes-vous sûr que vous êtes d'accord?" he asked.

"Oui le père de Michael, je suis vraiment bien," Bella replied.

Michael smiled. "E como são seus estudos Potuguese?"

"É fácil Pai, eu posso tomar em outro idioma a qualquer momento." Bella meant it, she was anxious to learn more.

Michael was not surprised. Bella had now spent over two years brow beating every translation out of him that she could. "Geduld mein Kind, wir haben viel Zeit," he said with a grin.

"Ich weiß, Vater, aber vielleicht würden Sie russische betrachten." She could not resist and learning the Russian language was something she had been thinking more and more about.

Michael laughed heartily. "Существует книга в этой библиотеке на русском языке," he informed her. "Если вы можете найти его я научу тебя читать."

Bella had no idea what he said and he did not offer a translation.

Instead, Michael told her that there was a book within the library written in Russian and, if she found it, he would teach her to read it. She wandered around the room pondering the roots of a few of those foreign words. There were many empty shelves her first few years at the abbey and her reflection followed her around the room.

There were far too few books to require such a large and well appointed facility but Michael had a way of talking people into things. He convinced the priests and the progressive Bishop that the acquisition of printed material would only strengthen the Church, and that the production and maintenance of new religious teachings and interpretations would further bolster the Church's influence on its subjects.

The Devil was a fearsome creature and managed to hide himself in the most astonishing places. The Church was a cauldron of political maneuvering that would have at times made even King Henry's court seem like a chicken coop. Control of the people was of paramount importance.

Michael was permitted an allowance to procure material from churches that either needed the money desperately or feared that impending skirmishes in their territories would possibly destroy their own meager collections. Troubles in Constantinople allowed him to purchase dozens of sacred writings that were gladly sent to a place where they would forever remain safe in Christian hands.

In one month alone he sent for twenty books, including two from Italy that seemed to be of special interest to Michael.

Bella learned to read Italian from those volumes during her third year as a nun but it was another book that inspired Michael to teach her that language in the first place.

She had seen it before, always from within Michael's robes. As far as she could tell he kept it with him at all times. It was fairly small but bright red and bound in what looked like soft leather. It had black veins sewn into the material from the top down. At first, Bella thought they looked like dead tree branches but later she imagined it to be black lightning.

One evening Michael retrieved the book from his recesses in order to get to one of his two Roman acquisitions and Bella shuddered at the sight of it.

She never asked about the book and would not have then, but Michael saw her regard the serpentine clasp that held the front flap in place. It might have looked suspicious had she not inquired about it since Michael seemed to hold nothing back from her pollinating mind.

But she was wholly frightened of the object and seeing it, even then, through the mostly obstructed view between his weathered fingers made her swallow hard.

Bella could not think of a single thing she wanted to know except how soon could it be thrown into the river.

"What language is that one written in?" She managed, trying desperately not to look like she really wanted to know the answer.

Michael smiled, then frowned. "It is written in English," he answered slowly and tucked it safely back within the many folds of his priestly garments. Bella was relieved. Michael allowed his frown to swim back into a smile until she, much to her surprise and horror blurted, "What is it called?"

Michael looked pained for a moment and Bella, who already regretted the question, looked almost the same. He recovered quickly and even gave a genuine chuckle as he replied to her with a soft but measured voice. "It has no name that I know of but, lately, I have come to think of it as...brutte parole."

Bella's advances in Latin, as well as her fluency in Spanish gave her the advantage of determining the general idea of the words Michael spoke with a natural Italian accent. He fixed her with a thunderous stare and even bent down as his next sentence was spoken with the quiet authority of a god on the earth.

"Ugly Words, my child, but you shall never be troubled by them." He shook his head gravely and, when he walked from the room, a cold wake of pestered air trailed behind him like a living shadow.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This concludes Bella Voce but the prologue and first chapter of Brutte Parole have also posted. The story continues there.**

**Happy New Year!**

**MOG**


	32. Bella Parole

**JUNE 24, 2012:**

Hello my friends,

I would like to announce some exciting news:

After completing _Bella Voce_ and _Brutte Parole_, I went to work on the soundtrack album and it is now available on iTunes and many other digital outlet arenas.

You will find my music under my name, Morgan Locklear, or the album's name, _Bella Parole_.

As many of you are aware, I shared over half of the album with you as I wrote the songs and as they appeared in the stories. But there is a lot of new material, including _Mon Petit Chou_ (the little ditty Edward sang to Bella when they first went to Notre Dame Cathedral - right before she beat the living hell out of three Italian vampires by banging their heads together like an excited baby with two new toys).

As a rule, I generally think it's tacky, (as well as against ff policy) to post such a self-serving open letter rather than a narrative. In the past, I have seen it done to garner votes in contests and it makes me cringe. However, I sought the advice from trusted friends who assured me that after all this time, most of you would appreciate the information rather than resent the message. I hope that is true and I offer this not as a tool to get you to buy, but just to listen. All of the songs have long samples and I wish to share my complete story with each of you.

If you are interested in a physical copy, they are available and very beautiful. Please contact me if you would like to make arrangements to have a signed CD.

Music is more than a backdrop in these two stories - it is the passion of its two lead characters and I was thrilled to bring them to life. (Along with Edward, Jacob, Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and even Rosalie).

A few words of thanks, please read them, you are in there too.

Thank you to Betti Gefecht for producing three songs and voicing all the women (except Bella).

Thank you to Josie Nye for giving Bella voice and contributing the most wonderful version of an accappella _Ave Maria_ to the soundtrack.

Thank you to Dany Oakes for writing and recording Michael's theme, _Cairo Fire_.

Thank you to Rick Clingman for Jacob's beautiful voice on _Conspicuous Smile_ and for your partnership in the story's first and last songs, _Lost and Found_, and _Sound Asleep_.

Thank you to Brian Egan for the home stretch, four songs and the task of putting the whole collection together in a flowing journey that turned out better than my wildest dreams.

Thank you to anyone who read, listened, and enjoyed these stories. Your encouragement guaranteed that for the rest of my life, I will continue to chase the tails of fiction cats and sail the seas on invented breeze.

Morgan


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